Local Writer Goes Head-First Into Rubble: Ansel Herz told you yesterday that Gazans have launched the "Rubble Bucket Challenge," a riff on the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in which people dump rubble on their heads to raise awareness of the situation in Gaza. (Rubble is used because water is in short supply in Gaza, and refrigeration is impossible due to infrequent access to electricity.) Yesterday afternoon, Stranger Genius of Literature Lesley Hazleton took part in the Rubble Bucket Challenge and blogged about her experience. You can see photos of her challenge along the side of this post. Hazleton writes, "The rubble I used came, either ironically or appropriately, from a building site."

Send Lance Mercer Good Thoughts: Back in June, the photographer and musician Lance Mercer went public with the news that he has cancer, his daughter calling for fundraising help. An exhibition of his photographs of the pre-grunge period was to be shown at Bumbershoot this weekend, but it just turned out to be too much to do to juggle a big show and illness. So there’s a change to the lineup: Mercer’s photo show will not appear at Bumbershoot, and in its place will be rock-and-roll photographs by another Seattle classic, the wonderful Jini Dellaccio, who died July 3. The show, curated by Chuck Pennington and assisted by Larry Reid of Fantagraphics, celebrates the entire life and career of Dellaccio, best known for 1960s images of acts like The Sonics, The Wailers, Merrilee Rush, The Daily Flash, and many others.

Your New Favorite Podcast (Except for the Savage Lovecast, Of Course): Stranger Genius Sherman Alexie and very-intelligent Spokane novelist Jess Walter announced today that they've started a new podcast titled "A Tiny Sense of Accomplishment." Alexie and Walter, who both play basketball a whole lot, refer to the podcast as "the middle-aged writer fading jock show," and it will include interviews (about writing and pornography and politics) and readings and probably sports talk. We got in touch with Alexie, who told us new episodes of the podcast will go live every other Wednesday. The first two episodes are available for your listening pleasure right now.

Actor Vincent Kartheiser to Play Filmmaker Billy Wilder: In Billy & Ray at the Vineyard Theater in NYC. As the New York Times reports:

Written by Mike Bencivenga and directed by Garry Marshall (“Pretty Woman”), “Billy & Ray” captures the antagonistic relationship between Wilder and Chandler during the creation of the 1944 film “Double Indemnity.” The two locked horns early and often while facing strict censorship laws that constrained a plot rife with murder and adultery. Despite the challenges, the film was nominated for seven Academy Awards, with Wilder and Chandler sharing a nomination for their screenplay.

As for the rest of the cast: Raymond Chandler will be played by top-tier Law & Order-er Larry Pine and a supporting role will be played Bette Midler's daughter Sophie von Haselberg.

How Many Fire Phones Has Amazon Sold? Wow, that's a terrible number. Could that be true?

Do You Need a Smart Watch? Apple is reportedly announcing their smartwatch on September 9th. One commenter at Apple Insider writes, "I, for one, will be one of the FIRST to order my iWatch, no matter what it looks like or what it does."

Superheroes Are Serious Business, Guys: Does DC Comics have a "no jokes" policy in their superhero movies?