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Psyched For Sykes

She's a woman. She's an African American. She's gay. Definitely not the typical description of the person selected to be the entertainer of the White House Correspondents' Association annual dinner (May 9th).

More importantly, she's funny.
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They Don't Look A Day Over 175

In honor of the "200th birthdays" of President Abraham Lincoln and naturalist Charles Darwin, I urge you join me in reading the following two books:

Combined, we're talking about 1,360 pages...let's get started, shall we?

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Confirmed: Joaquin Phoenix Is Disturbed

And a genuine asshole.
But more importantly, he's clearly mentally unwell.

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Monday Musing

Why is it that if a human being (or dog, cat, raccoon, etc.) were to fall from a height that was 100 times their own height (for example, a 6 foot tall human falling from a 600 foot height), there would be a result of almost certain death for that being, however, if a bug were to fall the same relative distance of 100 times its own height (as often occurs when someone knocks a spider from the top of a wall to the floor below, for instance), the bug not only survives the fall but remains capable enough to rapidly crawl away?

I assume there is a perfectly logical explanation for this phenomenon, involving a physics-based explanation, an entomology-based explanation, or both. Unless there are any physicists or entomologists reading this blog (highly unlikely), I assume my query will remain a mystery to myself and to all those similarly intrigued......so, just myself then.

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Kicking Up A Fuss For James Whitmore

One of the brilliant elements of a brilliant film.

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How Does Your Foot Taste, Andy?

That's right, President Bush's Chief of Staff Andrew Card, who has spent the past few weeks feigning outrage over the "disrespect" of President Obama sometimes not wearing a suit jacket in the Oval Office, just stepped in a big pile of...well, take a look for yourself:

UT OH! Looks like Etiquette Officer Andy believes that President Bush didn't "respect the office of the President" either! AND, it also appears that Card condemns President Kennedy, President Ford, President Reagan, President Carter, and President Clinton as non-suit jacket-wearing heathens, too!

How incredibly ironic it is that Card initiated this little tirade about Oval Office dress codes and the sanctity of our American democracy, both because (a) his boss's administration arguably did more to harm our nation than any before it, and (b) given the vast array of crises our nation currently faces, to be focusing his interviews on suits and ties is ridiculous, pathetic, and insulting.

Kudos, Mr. Card. I hope you're enjoying your epic fail.
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PC Game Night

I guess the last PC computer game I remember purchasing was Sim Tower (definitely one of my favorites of the Sim series) sometime around the end of middle school/the beginning of high school...so we're talking about 12 years ago. And thus as this anecdotal evidence demonstrates, except for the phenomenon that is MMORPG gaming like World of Warcraft, mass-market consumers have largely deserted PC computer gaming for the more desirable world of console gaming.

That being said, I highly recommend you download the following two PC computer games, ASAP. The first game is Popcap's Peggle, an incredibly addictive 'Snood meets Brick Breaker' type of game with tons of unique levels and game mechanics; also available is the equally fun expansion companion game Peggle Nights. The second game is Blendo's Gravity Bone (...must...suppress...immature...joke...), a fascinatingly quirky spy game that can only be appreciated by playing it for yourself; plus, the entire arc of the game takes about 10 amusing minutes to complete, classic dramatic ending included.

And, I've saved the best news for last...these games are absolutely FREE! The direct download link for Peggle is here, for Peggle Nights is here, and for Gravity Bone is here. There are full versions of Peggle and Peggle Nights available for purchase, but the free trial versions offer more than enough gaming fun to last a long while.

Go now and start downloading, you'll thank me later. Oh, I almost forgot to mention...Peggle involves a talking unicorn and Gravity Bone involves exploding birds. Like I said, you'll thank me later.
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And, My Favorite Super Bowl Commercial Was...

~~~ Careerbuilder.com's 'Hate Work' ~~~
There are very few images that prove to be funnier than the
repetitive punching of a snobbish, coffee-drinking koala.

[Honorable Mention: Monster.com's 'Moose', Bud Light's 'Conan',
Hulu's 'Alec Baldwin', and Pepsi's 'Pepsuber'.]

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Great Game

Way to make it interesting there in the 4th quarter! I was so nervous I almost threw up my nachos, six layer dip, bread, spinach dip, cheese hoagie, iced tea, ice cream cake, cookie, brownie, more nachos...

I need to go to the gym, right now.

P.S. Should the need ever arise to make a movie about Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin (he is, after all, the youngest NFL coach to ever make it to win the Super Bowl), is there really any question as to what actor would play him?

First there was his riveting performance in the underappreciated Love & Basketball...now, Omar Epps prepares for his return to the sports film genre in...Steeler Country, coming soon to a theater near you.

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McCaskill in 2016, And Other Political Ramblings

I've been following Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill since the early days of the Obama presidential campaign, and I think it's fair to say she's a rising political figure within the Democratic Party (check out her statements from the Senate floor today, regarding the disturbing $18 billion Wall Street bonuses, for a glimpse of her sharp political nature). In fact, I think McCaskill as Obama's VP would have been a real possibility, had it not been for the fact that such a pick would have been a sizeable slap in the face to Hillary Clinton; similarly, I think we could have seen McCaskill as an Obama cabinet member, however they likely agreed that McCaskill could server more effectively as a strong ally in the Senate.

That takes us (assuming an Obama reelection in 2012) to the 2016 presidential election, where I believe 10-year U.S. Senator McCaskill (assuming her reelection in 2012) will indeed run for the Democratic presidential nomination. Certainly, her centrist political views, midwestern appeal, and compelling rhetorical abilities could all prove to be beneficial in a presidential campaign (not to mention the fact that she's strikingly similar to the first female president of this season's 24; considering the show's prescience with first African-American President David Palmer, this is hardly something to underestimate). Even more interesting would be the possibility that Hillary Clinton could once again take a shot in 2016 (something I think is very possible given her strong political drive, the potential for long lasting Democratic popularity/Republican chaos, and the notion that she was/is "next in line"...of course, she will in fact be turning 69 years old just one week before the 2016 election, so that could prove to be a potential topic of consideration...and, no, Clinton will not be running in 2012, let's just get over that political suicide fantasy right now). Furthermore, it's becoming more and more apparent that Sarah Palin will be throwing her $800 hat in the ring come 2012 (contending for the honor of 'Most Gimmicky Presidential Candidate', a distinction currently bestowed upon Rudolph "9/11" Giuliani), but maybe she'll stick around for 2016 as well, making it an amazingly gender-infused presidential election cycle.

On a related "politicians to keep your eye on" note, I believe Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, New Jersey is a political star on the rise. The week of Barack Obama's presidential election win last November, Booker could be seen and heard being interviewed by just about every television and print media outlet. He's intelligent, compelling, and politically responsible for arguably one of the toughest cities in the country...and he's glowingly bald! Even more interesting, Booker will be 47 years old in 2016, which is the precise age of...yep, you guessed it...President Barack Obama. As beautiful as that political narrative symmetry may be, I actually think Booker will spend more time gaining political experience in some other political office (possibly eyeing the someday vacated U.S. Senate seat of Frank Lautenberg, or less likely the NJ governship, either of which would prove to be great campaigns to follow), eventually considering organizing a presidential campaign in, say, 2024.

Oh, how I enjoy making political prediction several decades into the future!

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In Fairness, He Used To Play Football There

I've been meaning to post this news clip for quite some time now, regarding the neighborhood reaction to a closing Philadelphia library.

In truth, I love my public library...a lot. With a full selection of new and old books (print, audio, digital), DVDs (movies, television, digital), music, and video games (both last gen and next gen systems) - all free to borrow for weeks and months at a time - my town's public library is one of my favorite places to go. And when I say "full selection", I'm talking about full: they offer brand new media as soon as it hits the store shelves (such as the three new copies of Artie Lange's bestselling book Too Fat To Fish last fall, a half dozen new copies of the just-yesterday-released DVD of Vicky Cristina Barcelona, two new copies of the obscure Kings of Leon's Only by the Night CD last fall, and new copies of just about every single Wii game released for the system). All this without mentioning the fully electronic library system that allows you to self-scan at the library and reserve/renew online at home. Again, I love my public library a lot.

All that being said...the guy in this video is insane. Hilarious, and spectacularly insane.
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Neither Rain, Nor Snow, Nor Sleet, Nor...Recession?

'Post Office May Cut Weekly Mail Delivery Days'

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Jack and Barack

A photo of newly inaugurated President and First Lady Obama with musician Jack Johnson and wife Kim Johnson, taken at the Home
States Inaugural Ball where Johnson performed.
Can we say 'best inaugural ball ever'?

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Sherlock Begins

A younger remake of Sherlock Holmes due out this coming November starring a career-on-fire Robert Downey Jr., sounds interesting! And let's see here, it's being directed by......ohhh dear......Guy Ritchie. Hmmm...yeah...so...I'm sure this movie will be...ummm...uhhh...yeah.
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And That's Why You Never Talk Negatively About Arrested Development

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

I'm sorry Michael Cera, but I had difficulty following what you were saying in this interview. It seems your MASSIVE ego may have gotten in the way, but I think you may have been talking dismissively about one of the greatest television shows ever created that just so happens to be responsible for starting your acting career. You're not some former contestant of American Idol that to further their career has to try and distance themself from their past, you have television roots that deserve honoring. Somebody get this kid a good publicist!

Meanwhile, the always positive Ron Howard has begun to calm things down a bit with an appearance on MSNBC's Morning Joe today, stating that even though the script is still being written he'd "be very surprised" if the movie wasn't greenlit.

Bottom line, if Cera isn't willing to reprise his role as George Michael Bluth, then I know someone who would be a perfect replacement...

STEVE HOLT!

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Why So Serious?

Can someone please explain to me how the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences were willing to step outside the conventional Oscar nominating boundaries to recognize Robert Downey Jr.'s performance in Tropic Thunder, a role that (for better or worse) unabashedly explores the lighter side of blackface, however those same members were unwilling to recognize either the directing achievement or broader best picture excellence of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, the "comic book superhero movie" that has amounted to something much larger?

Sure, it's nice that the movie still managed to receive 8 other nominations, but those were the two that counted. If it wasn't for the overwhelming likelihood that Nolan is going to be the one accepting the posthumous Best Supporting Actor win for Heath Ledger's brilliant performance, then I wouldn't fault Nolan (and Bruce Springsteen, for that matter) for engaging in some award show shenanigans...might I suggest a swift punch in the face for Mr. Obnoxious himself, Ryan Seacrest?

Ok, you got me. This entire post was designed to lead to the topic of punching Ryan Seacrest in the face. I could have been posting about Dijon mustard, and still it would have lead to this precise suggestion.

Someone punch him, please.
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Humor We Can Believe In

HIGH-FIVE INAUGURATION! - watch more funny videos

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The President of the United States of America Barack H. Obama

As the chosen song of the evening's inaugural
celebration so succinctly expresses...at last.

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On This Eve Of Inauguration Day

In anticipation of the historic events taking place tomorrow in our nation's capital, I spent a generous amount of my own personal time honoring Barack H. Obama, our 44th president of the United States of America, by......creating absurd Shepard Fairey-inspired posters through the use of the brilliant Obamicon.Me online tool provided by Paste Magazine.

Yes, I know, I'm just that amazing. Enjoy!

NOTE: Some of these posters involve excessively obscure references, making them all the more fulfilling if you know them. And if not, I apologize that you do not waste as much of your time as I do.

[click on poster to enlarge image]

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