The Fray loses one of its finest.

So if you are around, stop in and let us look to how Socrates died at the end. I came into this world in an inarticulate scream; I would like to go out of it doing something better.—Meletus, Goodbye.

The Fray received word over the weekend that one of its finest posters, Meletus, has passed away from lung cancer at the age of 34. Slate welcomes anonymous contributions to its Fray. Meletus availed himself of that anonymity through the very end. We do not know the man who passed away on Sept. 13. We cannot even say with certainty that a corporeal man has died at all. We can say with confidence, however, that his voice will be missed.

We offer our condolences to his cherished wife and family. We haven't a formal protocol for funerals online, but those who knew him are invited to share their remembrances here. GA … 11:30am PDT

Saturday, Sept. 23, 2006

Josh Levin's blistering critique of Zach Braff as both a filmmaker and self-appointed representative of the twentysomething generation prompted fans to react quickly in the star's defense. Fronk dubs the review "a petty, inappropriate smear on a bright rising star." For hollydai, Levin's metawhine "about how annoying other whining twentysomethings are" is "even more annoying."

Joseph37 points out that criticism of Braff's oeuvre is premature, "a concentrated attack on a man who is just starting his career. He's made a couple of movies and already Levin is psychoanalyzing him and his entire fan base: He's a narcissist because he had too much screen time in Garden State. People like him because he looks 'doofy.' "

As for Braff's representational status, ohigetit characterizes the actor as "Hollywood's antihero to the other side of his generation: pant-waists-to-the-knees, skateboard riding, meth-addicted young adults who run in same-sex packs oogling the other sex, rather than venturing into the world as adult beings."

canuckle agrees "it's a mistake to call Braff the voice of our generation based on an above-average date movie. These are same people that made the mistake of calling Kevin Smith the voice of our generation based on Clerks. Still, above average date movies are hard to come by. Most of them are unwatchable. Give Braff some credit for pulling it off."

It should be noted, however, that Levin is not without sympathizers in the Assessment Fray. The Zach Braff backlash comes as a comfort to FreddiedeBoer here and to Charles3: "As both a lover of film and a former resident of New Jersey, I passionately loathed every trite and indulgent second of GardenState. Almost all of my friends adored it and I thought I was going crazy." AC … 7:05pm PDT

Monday, Sept. 18, 2006

Nancy Grace's television audience tunes in to revile the hostess, rather than her guests. That's my hypothesis, judging from reader reaction in The Fray, to "Graceless," our weekend headliner by Dahlia Lithwick. In a fit of general prosecutorial zeal, Fraysters have indicted everyone but the ham sandwich for Melinda Duckett's suicide.

In the main court, 3rdChimp submits his case against Grace herself: