706. I Want My Hat Back

On the face of it, it's a story about a bear who lost his hat and goes around politely asking his forest critter friends if they've seen it. I would argue that the main theme is really whether revenge can be justified, which is a bold choice for a children's book.

705. Cinderella

And the lesson is: Shoe size is as good a reason as any for picking your leaders.

704. Several Circles

There's just something about those shapes!

703. Chicken Noodle Soup

This may be the first time I haven't even been able to attach a country to a work of art.

702. The Siena Cathedral

701. The Cantina Band Song

Since everything in the Star Wars universe has an official name, the song is actually called Mad About Me. But you didn't need to know that.

700. The Bayeux Tapestry

A 230-foot tapestry detailing the Norman conquest of England. Look for special appearances by Halley's comet and also a monk punching a woman in the face.

699. Bein' Green

What a sad song.

698. Superman

A retelling of the story of Moses with more x-ray vision.

697. The scene with The Mouth of Sauron

 If there's one scene that shouldn't have been cut from The Return of the King, it's negotiations with The Mouth of Sauron.

696. The Messerschmidt Busts

A whole lot of busts of people doing interesting things with their faces. Here's someone in the middle of a yawn. I also enjoy the guy who's about to sneeze and the guy who just smelled something awful.

695. Mars, the Bringer of War

Listen here. Even if you know the piece well, this performance is worth listening to. They really go for a frantic tempo rather than a stately one.

694. Union Station (in Los Angeles)

693. Mean Girls

A movie that takes the Cormac McCarthy premise of "humans are animals", but explores the theme in a high school with lots of jokes and no important dialogue in Spanish. So a little more accessible that Cormac McCarthy.

692. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

The cartoony art style was divisive. I liked it.

691. Prelude/Angry Young Man

Especially the Prelude. Billy Joel really knows his way around a piano.

690. The Wire

A television series about drug trafficking and police surveillance in Baltimore. Unfortunately, it's the source of pretty much everything I know about Baltimore, and it paints the city in a less than flattering light.

689. The King and I

That's Yul Brynner as the Egyptian Pharaoh, but you get the idea. Imagine him Thai instead of Egyptian, ignoring the fact that he's actually Russian.

688. This Van Gogh Self-Portrait

Van Gogh did a ton of self-portraits. I like this one with the bandaged ear and the silly hat.

687. Upward Over the Mountain

A good song for waking up. Listen here.

686. The Witches

Do note that the 1995 movie "The Pebble and the Penguin" didn't make the cut. It is nowhere near as good as that scene in Ferris Bueller where Cameron looks at the Seurat painting.

Now back to the normally scheduled, non-alliterative program. The Witches is disturbing and violent---a good way to introduce children to the unfairness and cruelty of the world.

685. The Princess and the Pea

I do want to highlight Aaron's excellent guess of "The Pugilist and the Proctologist", a work I am sadly not acquainted with. I should also mention that I love Wikipedia's deadpan summary of this story, namely that it is a fairy tale "about a young woman whose royal identity is established by a test of her physical sensitivity."

684. The Pit and the Pendulum

You know, like Saw, except actually good. By the way, I do intend to complete the "The P... and the P..." trifecta, but I'll leave it until tomorrow in case anyone wants to try to come up with a third work of art before I reveal my pick.

683. The Prince and the Pauper

I totally thought this was just a traditional European fairy tail. Nope. Mark Twain. Good for him.

682. The Fox and the Hound

A touching story that I don't really remember. I do remember it being touching, though. And probably one of them dies at the end, although I couldn't tell you which.

681. Rapper's Delight

I couldn't find a good picture, so that's Turkish Delight, which is kind of a different thing.

680. My Life as a Dog

It's hard to be a Swedish kid in the 1980s. But it could be worse; at least you're not that dog they sent into space with no way to bring her back.

679. Don't Stop Believin'

When I put up music selections from past decades, it's always a little harder to take the music seriously once I've seen what the artists look like. This song is excellent, regardless of the musicians' hairstyle choices.

678. Swan Lake

677. The Yellow Wallpaper

Oops. I forgot to do a Halloween-themed entry. So here's a creepy short story that's about insanity and probably also feminism. You can get the ebook here.