Introducing The 2005 Weblog Award Winner in the Best Group Blog Category…

Thanks to all who voted for Hit & Run in The 2005 Weblog Awards. We ended up taking home top honors in the "best group blog" category thanks to your efforts. Details are here.

It's a very nice way to celebrate H&R's third year--and caps off a year in which this blog took home awards in the Los Angeles Press Club's Southern California Journalism Awards, was called "the best libertarian blog" by Playboy, one of the "best political blogs" by Washingtonian, and more. (More on all that here).

Comments

[Rich Ard]

From the Summary of Poll Changes:

"The total votes for Hit and Run have been reduced by 1440 votes for for excessive voting from three IP address."

Somebody was busy.

[Sven]

No one likes a braggard.

[thoreau]

Victory is sweet, but crushing victory would have been sweeter. Well, I tried.

Still, congratulations!!!!!!

[speedwell]

On the contrary, Sven; nobody likes the self-effacing, smarmy wart who is too insecure and shy to show that he is happy about his own strengths and accomplishments.

[Warren]

As a regular commenter on Hit and Run I claim credit for all accolades bestowed upon it.

Would you believe, I expect an awards banquet in appreciation of my wit and insight?

Would you believe my moniker added to the office plaque?

How about a subscription renewal email?

[Svan]

I'm not smarmy, Speedwell!

Congrats, Reason, and all you regulars.

[Qbryzan]

This calls for Reason T-Shirts for everybody! How about it, Nick?

[Rick Barton]

Kudos to H&R-to my fellow commenters and to the editors who create this stellar blog! No other blog even comes close.

Now that we won this, it's on to H&R, the movie:

These are chronicles of Hit and Run, Reason's outpost and an outpost of reason in the vastness of cyberspace...

[Warren]

Now that we won this, it's on to H&R, the movie

It's "A Beautiful Mind" meets "The Full Monty"

[thoreau]

It could be an interesting concept for a movie, where several of the main characters are played by the same actor.

[Taylor]

Congrats... but why isn't there a best student blog category? How are we supposed to compete?

[Qbryzan]

No best student blog category?!? Clearly it is time for congress to intervene!

[sage]

"The total votes for Hit and Run have been reduced by 1440 votes for for excessive voting from three IP address."

It's the classic story of geeks thwarted by geeks.

[smacky]

Where's my cupcake. WHERE'S MY CUPCAKE, NICK?!@!?

[Crushinator]

Now the entire blogosphere thinks we are cheaters. And gun-totin', pot-smokin', religion hatin', oversexed anarchists.

Fly your H&R freak flag high!

[Warren]

It could be an interesting concept for a movie, where several of the main characters are played by the same actor.

I'm thinking Rowan Sebastian Atkinson

[smacky]

I'm thinking Rowan Sebastian Atkinson

No way. Kids in the Hall, totally. Between the five of them, they can play everyone, male and female.

I want Bruce McCulloch to play me in the film. Assuming my character would have a part.

[Qbryzan]

I believe the important lesson here is libertarians don't need the Republican party - we can cheat in elections just fine without them.

[VM]

smacky: sorry. he's been cast as StevenCrane pre makeover. 🙂

right before he goes on that long journey from Solon through Chesterfield, over to Burton to find himself. well, find himself trapped under tons of snow... 🙂

[VM, the geographically challen]

d'oh... that'd be "Chesterland"... hrumph.

[Warren]

No way. Kids in the Hall, totally. Between the five of them, they can play everyone, male and female

But I don't want Kevin McDonald to play me

[thoreau]

David Lynch would be perfect for the H&R movie: Look at all the characters who kept changing identities in Los Highway and Mulholland Drive.

You might ask whom I'm referring to. I think it's fairly obvious that I'm talking about "drf" aka "Viking Moose" and "Stevo Darkly" aka "Stevo Threadkiller."

You were expecting somebody else? 🙂

[Pro Libertate]

I'm still miffed that a blog awards site had the gall to omit a "Best Commenters" award. Thhumpft. We would've won that one, too.

[smacky]

David Lynch would be perfect for the H&R movie: Look at all the characters who kept changing identities in Los Highway and Mulholland Drive.

Yeah, I bet he could do quite a number on Gary Gunnels and his personalities.

I bet he could do some really creepy stuff with Jennifer's character, too.

(Creepy in a good, David-Lynch kind-of-way, of course.) 🙂

I need to see more David Lynch movies.

I think the Hit and Run Movie would be a really good idea...

...now if only interest in it weren't limited to five regular commenters; must find way to break into market...

...I've got it! Cupcakes!

[thoreau]

Hit and Run commenters discover a sinister plot to put corn syrup into a school's lunch program. They have only 24 hours to stop it. But at least one of their humber is an Agent. And their ability to communicate is hampered by the broken server.

And half way through the plot, several commenters suddenly morph into other commenters, and while walking along Mulholland Drive they discover the rotting corpse of somebody who was one of them in a previous incarnation.

joe hits upon the brilliant idea of zoning the school zone to exclude industrial deliveries, thwarting the truck that's supposed to deliver the corn syrup. But a bottle is snuck into the school anyway. In the final confrontation, Smacky manages to contain the sinister corn syrup by incorporating it into cupcakes, saving the innocent children. But as they ride off into the sunset, somebody nudges a gun and it goes off, killing one of our heroic commenter.

What, no interest?

[kelley]

Ah, and our reward for voting early and voting often is, finally, a new Friday Funnies cartoon.

[Rick Barton]

Atten: Movie producers.

As you can see, our people here are brimming with concept and casting ideas. This thing looks to have legs. The movie would capitalize on the latest internet craze and we could use the Best Group Blog award for publicity. If we cast Nick, we have great opportunity for a marketing franchise for black leather jackets. (Didja catch his appearances on CNBC?). Wilson Leather would probably jump at the chance. So let's get this thing going. Just email me. I can be in LA in a day.

[Todd Fletcher]

Congrats, H & R deserves it.

Though I would have been happy to see PostSecret win too.

[mediageek]

See, libertarians can win an election!

[Warren]

thoreau,
good start, just sprinkle in some pot, porn and prostitutes.

Oh and give my character a speaking role...
"Members of the PTA, I think I've found a way to dramatically increase your bake sale revenue..."

[Crushinator]

I see a lot of product placement opportunities. Beer products would fill the screen. Smith and Wesson, Colt, Glock, would all have prominent displays. WalMart could be seen getting blown up. endless possibilities...

[smacky]

Redbeard the Moose,

shhhh! I'm in an undisclosed location, remember? *wink*

[smacky]

VM,

By the by, have you seen my tinfoil hat lying around anywhere? It's cold here.

[Rick Barton]

This calls for Reason T-Shirts for everybody! How about it, Nick?

It's the editors who create this wonderful place. We should be sending them stuff. Maybe they could create a wish list thread...God, what am I doing? I could create a monster here!

[just another lurker]

Hey, H&R really did do better than Badnarik. Congratulations.

Although I too wouldn't have minded seeing Postsecret win. It's really in a class by itself.

But then, so is Hit & Run.

[Warren]

My gift wishes for the Hit and Run posters.

Nick: Silk tie
Jesse: IPod
Tim: Dray of squirrels
Brian: Zippo
Jacob: It's in the car, I'll get to you later
Ronald: Chemistry Set
Matt: CapitalOne card
Kerry: Everything she wants, nothing she needs "yes, I kept the receipt"
Julian: Secret Decoder Ring
Peter: 64 box Crayolas
Michael: Two weeks at the "Paris of the Middle East" Holliday Inn
Jonathan: "Congressional Steps" tickets
Cathy: 20$ Supercuts gift certificate

Hey, that was kinda fun. Some were easy, some not so much, all are offered in good fun.

My sincere wishes of PEACE and GOOD WILL to all
Joyous Solstice

[David T]

Hey, when is Hit and Run going to have something about Bandow and Abramoff?...

[VM]

[whisper] smacky - rick was using the tinfoil hat while playing Noam and the mind beam - he can return them to you along with the leather bound copy of heather has two mommies (complete with sweaty pillow fight scene on page 69) [/whisper]

*** beam to secret location. once known as "THE A BUILDING. ***

to A-120, of course

[Bobster]

Blogcritics 0.47 % (110)

Based on the voting results it looks to me like Blogcritics must be true Libertarians. Next year they may get a full 1%. That would be sweeet!

[Captain Awesome]

Damn, didn't think of it 'till just now. The would have been the perfect time to use one of those IP randomizers from the toilet dancing thread.

[Ken Shultz]

David Lynch would be perfect for the H&R movie: Look at all the characters who kept changing identities in Los Highway and Mulholland Drive.

I like thr idea of a film, but it would have to be Lynch's vision if he did it, his overarching theme. He'd try to recreate characters with his own quirks, but we need a director who can project us as we are.

...and politics doesn't enter into it. I'm talkin' Richard Linklater--we'd need Richard Linklater.

The film would be called "The Thread". The entire film is shot from the perspective of your monitor, sometimes the action happens over and behind our shoulders, sometimes that's just the perspective into your home, office, room, etc.

The film starts with something Gillespie sees and posts on. You see him type it in black right across the screen while he's talking to someone, maybe about something else, maybe not. He hits "Post", and the scene refreshes into some commenter's mug; you get their monitor's perspective. ...all the action happens behind them. You see him or her type a comment, hit "Post", and the camera refreses into the next commenter.

So what's the plot? ...The action happening in the background?

Just take a Hit & Run thread, as it really happened--that'll be what you see typed on the screen from the camera's perspective. Write up a character with the psychology, the history, the setting of someone who would write that comment, and all the other comments that person has written.

What's goin' on in the room where thoreau's posting from? Who else is in the same room? We get a shot of kwais fighting from Afghanistan or Iraq, while he responds to some anti-war commenter. What's doin' in the background as Stevo pipes in? What would explain LoneWacko's comments? ...and so on.

Come to think of it, there should be three acts, three Reason posters and three threads. ...and the film should be called, "The Threads".

[James Anderson Merritt]

Congratulations.

Oh yeah, and you're welcome.

[thoreau]

Ken, I think that's a brilliant concept.

I'm typing a message, and you see an older scientist in the background giving me popcorn. (There's a guy who makes a point of feeding all of the postdocs.) You hear some people talking about cancer research. Then we go to Dave W.'s office, and he's talking about suing somebody because the diet soda gave him cancer. Then we go to some poster who drinks lots of diet soda, and you see a pile of cans in the background.

Another sequence: The first post is being typed by a guy in a military uniform. In the background people are cleaning and preparing their weapons. He writes his post, at one point consulting a book. Then a soldier comes up and says something in French. He dons his black ski mask, and heads off to fight. Then we see Kwais going through a similar ritual, before heading off to fight somebody in Afghanistan. Finally, we see Shannon Love, in a comfy office, confidently asserting knowledge about how real military decision-makers act.

[dead_elvis]

My gift wishes for the Hit and Run posters.
...
My sincere wishes of PEACE and GOOD WILL to all
Joyous Solstice

And for Warren, a good stiff drink for making me laugh.

[Bethquesting]

I'm glad that Hit&Run won. I voted for you guys and I got a friend to vote for Hit&Run. I think that one of my favorite posters, Rick Barton, was the hero for your team. He kept urging us to find friends to vote (as I did) but he also said that we shouldn't cheat. Very classy!

I love this blog mostly because what I read here helps me win debates with my famous neocon uncle, my very liberal aunt who is his wife and my fundamentalist religious (Jewish variety) brother. I clobber them all! Congrats and keep up the good work!

[rob]

Ken Schultz - Brilliant concept.

thoreau - Brilliant execution.

me - Actually sincere about the first sentence, and probably more shocked than anyone else.

[bago]

Woot!

Sex, drugs, and acid trance for all!

[Rick Barton]

Thanks Bethquesting, and thanks for supporting H&R.

VM and smacky,

I gave the tin foil hat to fyodor and he gave it to thoreau and he...