With "Ponyo," three glimpses of how people view the world around them

First and foremost, happy birthday America, and in your honor, I'm not going to even try to tell one single joke about Sarah Palin ... well, maybe just one, which I admittedly stole directly from my Facebookbud and Twin Cities DJ Jason Nagel:

What's the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? A pit bull doesn't quit.

OK, enough of that, because here today it's once again all about Hayao Miyazaki's upcoming "Ponyo" (as I believe it's known in this wonderful country), and a glimpse of how people around the world can view the same thing differently.

What it is, courtesy of the delightfully obsessive Ghibli Blog, is three international trailers for the flick, first the Japanese, which as you can see, is all about fun, right down to that instantly addictive "Ponyo" song, which damn well better appear in the American version set to drop Aug. 14.



Cool enough, but the French version is all kinds of crazy. Serious, not surprisingly, but also combined with a simply ridiculous opera track. Enjoy.



And finally, the American version, which I admit I just posted here less than a week ago, bur for the sake of this, here it is again. Being Americans, we go straight for the spectacle, hence the big time paid to that stunning shot of Ponyo running out of the ocean on the backs of a school of fish.



That's close to all I have today, but since it's my favorite holiday, a gift for anyone who made it this far. Atmosphere, the Twin Cities' and one of America's best rappers, has put out a new 7-song EP you can download for free and enjoy here. As usual, it's pretty epically good stuff.

And with that, I'm off to watch the all-American showdown of Venus and Serena in the Wimbledon final. Peace out.