I Tivo’d but haven’t watched the second episode. Lance Mannion (who missed the pilot) liveblogged it. As his wrap-up suggests, he (like me) was a little underwhelmed, but willing to give it a chance: I’m going to give Studio 60 a couple more chances. West Wing made me grumpy like this for the first few episodes—and there were things about … Read More
Studio 60: A Hasty Review
Aaron Sorkin’s new show — Studio 60 at Sunset Strip — debuted last night on NBC. Sorkin is, in my humble estimation, a writing god. His previous two television shows — Sports Night and The West Wing — are among my top 3 favorite shows of all time. Like his previous ventures, Sorkin works with director Thomas Schlamme in Studio … Read More
What Singer Is Most Often Quoted In Judicial Legal Opinions?
Inquiring minds want to know. The answer? Dylan, by a mile. He’s also the favorite in scholarly legal journals. Artist Number of Citations in Legal Journals Number of Citations in Judicial Opinions Total 1. Bob Dylan 160 26 186 2. The Beatles 71 3 74 3. Bruce Springsteen 64 5 69 4. Paul Simon 51 8 59 5. Woody Guthrie … Read More
Fall Broadway Preview
MSNBC has a nice-roundup, which I now rip-off: Here are our choices for the best bets: Heartbreak HouseThe Roundabout Theatre Company is known for mounting strong shows for discerning theatergoers, so this flashback from Theatre Studies 101 may turn out very well. Swoosie Kurtz stars in this adaptation of the George Bernard Shaw classic about love, war and disappointment. Note: … Read More
Okay, I Can Roll With This
Changes made to Monopoly: tokens miniature versions of a Toyota Prius hybrid car, an order of McDonald’s French fries, a New Balance running shoe, a cup of Starbucks coffee or a Motorola Razr cellphone Properties no longer based on Atlantic City streets; they now include real estate from Boston and Washington to Las Vegas and Hollywood The four railroads supplanted … Read More
New Rules
Rule #1: Babies born unto celebrities are not themselves celebrities. Rule #2: It is not "news" when a celebrity gives birth to a new baby. This is a normal occurance that happens everyday to hundreds of thousands of ordinary couples. The fact that it happened to someone who (arguably) sings does not make it "newsworthy". Rule #3: Britney Spears and … Read More
Write Your Own Punchline
Here’s the set-up: ‘Idol’ singer Clay Aiken may serve Bush Clay Aiken is in line to be named to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities, the White House said Wednesday.
Best. Show. Title. Ever.
Help! Help! I Know This Title is Long, But Somebody’s Trying to Kill Me It’s a show about a vaudevillian who stays true to the adage "the show must go on". In his case, he tries to make the show go on …even though his castmates are being killed off.
Best Movie Musical Ever
A jury of 500 artists, critics, performers, etc. at the American Film Institute has voted "Singing In the Rain" the best movie musical ever: The other top 10 musicals, in descending order, were: West Side Story, The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music, Cabaret, Mary Poppins, A Star Is Born, My Fair Lady, An American in Paris and Meet … Read More
Haute Cuisine
Deep Fried Coca-Cola? Vendor Abel Gonzales Jr. has come up with a new artery-clogging concoction for the State Fair of Texas. It’s fried Coke. Gonzales deep-fries Coca-Cola-flavored batter. He then drizzles Coke fountain syrup on it. The fried Coke is topped with whipped cream, cinnamon sugar and a cherry. Gonzales said the fried Coke came about just from thinking aloud. … Read More
Not Fantasy Football
NPR had a story on fantasy football, a craze which is still growing in popularity. I don’t play it, because I don’t follow football that closely, but I know many who do. Apparently the object is to create a football team (which you draft) from real players. Then, based on their playing stats from the previous week’s game, you score … Read More
Didn’t You Kind Of Think It Would End This Way?
Steve Irwin, 44, known to all as the amped-up Crocodile Hunter, died yesterday at the hands of an animal. It wasn’t a crocodile — the animal that Steve often liked to get dangerously close to. He was stung by a stingray. Apparently, there is videotape of him pulling the stingray barb from his chest in his last moments of life. … Read More
“The Scream” Found
Reuters: OSLO (Reuters) – Norwegian police recovered "The Scream" and another stolen masterpiece by Edvard Munch on Thursday, two years after the works were seized from a museum by gunmen. "We are 100 percent certain they are the originals," police chief Iver Stensrud told a news conference. "The damage was much less than feared." "The Scream" depicts a terrified figure … Read More
Improv Everywhere Strikes Again
The date: August 19, 2006 The target: Home Depot’s mega-store in Manhatten The mission: 225 participants (or "agents") entered the Home Depot posing as ordinary customers, scattered throughout the store and then proceeded to shop . . . in slow motion. At a pre-determined time, they all froze for five minutes. The results: Full recounting, with video and photos, here. … Read More
Who’s Sorry Now?
Yeah, Greg at The Talent Show is right… Whaddup with everybody apologizing on YouTube?