Stolen Airwaves: Goons That Never Heel

Between October 21 and 24, Sinclair Broadcast Group will force the local television stations it owns and operates to preempt regular network broadcasts and devote one hour to Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal, an anti-John Kerry documentary that criticizes his anti-war activities. Though the FCC (whose chairman, Michael Powell, is Colin's son) and the Federal Election Commission are investigating the matter, it doesn't look promising.



Please take a moment and go here to sign this petition (something I normally would never ask anyone to do).



Also, here is a list of their advertisers. You know, just in case you're interested in, you know, boycotting them.

Girls In My Trunk

A couple of weeks ago, I was at a bar with writer/poet Jennifer L. Knox, when the subject of the Beach Boys came up. I love them, she absolutely hates them. She did, however, write some lyrics for a proposed mock-Beach Boys song. I couldn't resist putting them to music. Originally, I wanted to make it an uptempo number, but I settled on a ballad.



Click here to download the song.
Click here to view the lyrics.

Whatever It Is, I'm Against It

Does this ominous bit of graffiti signify an imminent terror strike? The numbers are said to represent November 3, 2004, the day after the presidential election. The mysterious numbers are accompanied by a crude silhouette of what looks like a bomb. Is this right-wing propaganda akin to the "Osama Votes Kerry" stencils? The residents of Kensington, Brooklyn, largely populated by Jewish and Muslim groups don't think so, despite the fact that a local "unrepentant graffiti crew" claimed responsibility for the stencils, claiming the numbers didn't symbolize anything. Acccording to the New York Post:

it turns out "1134 NYC" is a graffiti group from Staten Island that has branched out to promotions, art shows and even products. Members even have an online store of stickers and posters. The bomb represents slang for graffiti writing — also called "bombing" — and 1134 is an old beeper code between friends, said one of the founding members who goes by the name "Mint." "I don't really meet people too often that have those sorts of problems," Mint said of Sam's fears. "But if I do, I'll tell them that they're a little too uptight."

Hmmm. Too uptight? Maybe. With good reason? Definitely.

The Mad Libs Sestina

This is positive proof that the man who invented Mad Libs is currently laughing all the way to the pencil. Joke courtesy of Andy Kindler, McSweeney's link courtesy of Dan Nester.



Thank you.

Rodney Dangerfield Dead at 82

As Gary Cooper was alleged to say in his final days, "I figured they would have licked this death thing by now." Unfortunately not. After undergoing heart surgery in August and suffering a stroke, Dangerfield had been in a coma about a week, regaining consciousness about a few days ago.



Apart from being a brilliant stand-up comedian, he left behind several cinematic comedy classics (though his application to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was cruelly rejected in 1995), most notably Caddyshack (1980). The Mercury News collected a few of Rodney's most famous one-liners in an attempt to cheer us up.

Bishop Desmond Tutu on The Daily Show

Promoting his new book, God Has A Dream: A Vision of Hope For Our Time, on Jon Stewart's The Daily Show, Desmond Tutu was incredibly compassionate, and downright adorable. Assessing the global perception of Americans abroad, he said:

Most people believe that you are wonderful people. But can't understand what you're doing. Export not bombs, but your compassion and your generosity.

He concluded with the hope that one day "we will realize that we are all part of God's family. No exceptions."



I must say that I found this all deeply moving. Though I am not a tremendously religious person (as evidenced by all those mean things I said about the Pope), I would highly recommend catching this interview when it is repeated. Incidentally, Comedy Central runs the show approximately thirty times a day.

White Punks On Pope

Pope John Paul II (yep, still alive) has beatified the last Austro-Hungarian emperor, Charles I, best known for authorizing the use of mustard gas during World War I. But he also, according to the Vatican, cured a nun of vericose veins. "I hope Emperor Charles will serve as an example, especially for those with political responsibilities in Europe today," the pope said during the ceremony in Saint Peter's Square. Critics claim the Pope's actions were brought about by pressure from the conservative right. And here I thought he just had an unrequited love for mustard gas.