Although NOTD is mainly a site that reviews movies, it’s called News Of The Day. I could be wrong, but I’m guessing it’s because Kenny (the brain behind the site) also has set forth a daily personal log of sorts. NOTD is a collaborative effort of 8 young men, who mainly review movies and goof off on a regular basis. With a heavy emphasis on goofing off.
Kenny’s daily log is a funny one, usually recapping his travels or daily observances, and features his very intelligent commentary (Note to the weaker-minded: There ARE pictures!). The posts made in and around the front pages of the site by the other staff, are frocked with the genuine humor and insight that you would not ordinarily get from a newspaper or traditional movie review…so, I was interested enough to move further.
The reviews the guys do are pretty objective, and of course, silly as well. You needn’t be one of their crowd to understand them, either. I’d say the group blog area in itself is worth the visit to the site, and I’m sure they’d be glad to hear that.
The layout on the main page, I’m guessing, is the more recent of the handful that make up NOTD’s design. The webmaster has kept the previous templates where they lie, in the older parts of the site (as do some bloggers). Sometimes this doesn’t work for blogs, and in NOTD’s case, it initially threw me off a bit. The navigation formula remains intact, so I guess its not that scary after all. I’m not sure if the recent move of the blog’s ‘power’ to Greymatter has affected NOTD, I just wondered why the archive page appears to be missing nearly a year’s worth of entries (mid-June ’01 to March 02′). Everything else seems to be intact and all the other content I’ve read was great, so I let it slide.
I especially liked the graphic on the front page. It seems to represent the mindset of the average NOTD staffer, by saying that they deviate, yet manage to provide a kind of harmony. They make something fit even if it doesn’t belong, like the styrofoam cup that’s too big, on a hot coffee press. Cinderella’s glass slipper in a bowl of Jell-O. Watching a porno with Mom. But I digress. My point is, this brings me to summize that NOTD combines elements which perhaps don’t belong together: movie reviews, news, a personal/group blog, a ‘Smiley Cam’, and rampant male adolescent humor. But somehow, some way, it works.
Overall, I’d recommend the average weblog reader to stop by and check out a funny weblog entry or two, or peruse through the movie reviews. If you think the Sunday Comics are boring, you find Leonard Malten to be a schmuck, or are just looking for something new and fun, put down your issue of Stuff and run, don’t walk, to NOTD. I’m sure you’ll find some peace of mind, as well as fellowship, there.
*Sniff* I have. 5 out of 5.News Of The Day