The Biggest Loser?

It really kills me to see what's playing out in the news these days. Unless any of our readers are over 70, I think it's common belief that Conan is actually funny and Jay is old and tired*. BUT! NBC continues to believe that Jay has a chance? I'm happy that they finally are cancelling his 10pm show because it was painful. The fact that NBC is still willing to give Jay whatever he wants in the form of an 11:30 show is still nauseating. I love this argument - "Jay just wants to tell jokes!". Too bad they aren't funny!

I hope that Conan decides to leave NBC instead of taking their compromise of moving his show back to midnight. I understand Conan wanting to host The Tonight Show, but would his show at midnight even carry that title? At this point is it even worth it? Also, the People article is weird too with the whole "Conan's motivation will become clear". What?? Are they not reading the NY Post?

It's "funny" that Late Night shows have such a dark side, and why is Jay Leno always involved in these hosting controversies? Leno being picked over Letterman to host The Tonight Show almost seems tame compared to Leno vs. O'Brien. I never thought Jay was "a nice guy"(TM) , but seriously how much power/whining is 1 unfunny man capable of? Is his ego as big as his chin?

*I think David Letterman is actually the best late night host, but obviously Conan is the best on NBC/for the future.

Safety first!

Here is a public service announcement (PSA for short) from me to you: look out for bikes and scooters on the road!!

This morning, I was scootin' along, obeying all the safety rules, when a stoplight turned green--nobody had a left turn arrow--and I scooted across the intersection and 2 separate cars tried to turn left onto me. The first one was an over-hasty minivan (I thought), and after I yelled at her I continued on my path...but the car behind her was already turning left, too! And he slammed on his brakes, stopping short about 3 feet from my left thigh. I yelled at him a little bit and he kept looking up at the light behind me, hoping for a green arrow to magically appear. I'd actually hoped I was in the wrong, so that this situation would be easily avoided next time (that I was in control and could fix it), but no. I was right. Which is scary.

WHAT THE HECK PEOPLE. Look ahead for smaller vehicles. Don't accidentally kill someone just because it's too much trouble to look around!

Current Events

I get that celebrities can think for themselves, but they better stop being so in my face about it....specifically in regards to the whole Roman Polanski mess. The more names I see signing a petition to free Roman, the more I start losing respect for everyone on the list. Today I find out that Natalie Portman just signed. wtF??? I guess it's hard for me to understand their position because a) I'm not in Hollywood and b) it's hard for me to understand how genius Roman is (he directed a few movies?). There's no denying he has had a rough life, aside from the troubles he's made for himself, but does that entitle him to get out of jail free cards for the rest of his life?

Sidenote - it's interesting that Jack Nicholson hasn't signed or said anything at this point considering it happened at his house.

I'm Yours?

Jason Mraz. Remember when he was unleashed on an unsuspecting nation? Yeah, me neither. But I stumbled across this fact today: His new song "I'm Yours" has now been the longest running song on Billboard's Hot 100 chart EVER. The article is pretty funny and the first commenter too. It reminded me of other "hits" that have stayed around and punished us forever - I remember "Foolish Games" (Jewel) and "How Do I Live" (LeAnn Rhimes) as being particularly ear crushing.

Driving

I'm just going to say it - Obama supporters are terrible drivers. It's painful to reveal, but honestly someone's gotta set these people straight. "My morning commute" consists of 10 mins on I-40 East. If I get behind a mini-van I can pretty much guarantee a terrible start to the morning. If a woman is in the driver's seat then it's confirmed. It's true what they say - women are horrible drivers. Myself not included. But Obama drivers take the cake. Too cautious and always going about 10+ miles below the speed limit. I've thought of a few reasons why it's specific to Obama: 1) It's a wider net of drivers since he carried NC 2) I'm coming from Chapel Hill. Also, this can be applied to people with any sort of "green" or "recycle" stickers.

Do me a favor and...

stop kidding yourself with the use of "grassroots"! You, an embattled conservative who's basically one of the only ones left standing up for our rights, our constitutional rights not to pay taxes, are launching a "grassroots" campaign for a "tea party" this week. This week, when most Americans' income tax returns are due, you heroic rebels are instead going to send tea bags to your representatives in congress. Really shaking things up!

What other "grassroots" movements have you been involved in? A quick search of townhall.com brought up several examples with big-winning names like Rush Limbaugh and Ron Paul. Impressive! Here is what one of you had to say about the "revolutionary" tax week "tea parties":

What brought Reaction Time to my attention relative to the GOP? Tea Parties. This is a grassroots movement in its infancy. It started via traditional media, has grown through social media, and like all infant grassroots movements, has a tiny chance of growth and survival coupled with an enormous potential for success and impact, should it, in fact, survive and grow. In order for any movement to grow, though, it needs fuel. An opportunity has been placed in the lap of the GOP. A big opportunity, in my view, especially in light of the abysmal history the party has with grassroots movements of any kind. What's the reaction to this potentially fortuitous shift in the market? I haven't really seen one yet. And as I said, inaction is, in fact, reaction.

The irritating thing about this is that you're kidding yourself about the use of "grassroots," throwing it around like you're back in '62, registering voters in Mississippi. That was real grassroots organizing, and it was ok to use words like that because it worked toward giving everyone in this country a fair shake. But protesting against taxes? Especially when you're getting your information from Michael Savage and Glenn Beck?

Let me, lil' ol' me, tell you something about taxes: they pay for roads, public schools (a pillar of democracy, don't forget!), police, firefighters, public transport (and don't give me the old but-the-government-can't-tell-me-how-to-get-to-work-I'll-drive-my-Ford Expedition-if-I-want routine; we all know the jig is up), every single part of the military, and the court system. Next time somebody doesn't bash your door in and drag you into the street to dole out justice, thank your tax dollars. Next time you get laid off and need an unemployment check to cover your bills, thank your tax dollars. Next time your kid learns to read and gets a free ride to school and a discounted lunch if you need it, thank your tax dollars. I could go on all day like this.

I don't make very much money, and I didn't have enough in my withholdings this year so I ended up owing for taxes. And you know what? I don't really mind! Even though I feel like I pay disproportionately much, given my small income, it's ok because I realize that taxes are necessary to make things work. Is it any accident that two of the highest-taxed nations in the world, France and Denmark, also enjoy some of the lowest crime, infant mortality, and illiteracy rates? Is it any accident that the quality of life in those countries is so crazily high? What makes us freak out in America when we confront the spectre of a "nanny state"? Why wouldn't we want clean air and reliable public transport and health care? Who do we think we are, saying health care isn't a human right? Do we really love smoking in public and high-fructose corn syrup so much that it's worth spazzing about a potential ban? If you know something I don't, please let me know. And try not to mention 1984 when you explain it to me.

Do me a favor and...

stop saying "do tell."

e.g.: "[friend on facebook] is SO proud of her husband, he rocks!!!"

First of all, I hate this kind of vague-n-personal status update. It's lame, and at least this friend did not make a negative one, e.g. "...is really disappointed and can never trust a man again," or "...is going to the hospital :( " or "...can't stop crying." But what all of these statuses have in common is that they're fishing for comments and likes.

What pisses me off even more than the statuses themselves are these people's friends who actually fall for it! Do they not have telephones or private email accounts to share personal news? Is a facebook status really the only way they have to communicate with the world?? The responses to the "SO proud of her husband, he rocks!!!" status were as follows:

"Why? Do tel....." [sic]
"for what? Just in general? : )"

I get that this example isn't that bad, because there's nothing wrong with broadcasting an encouraging shout-out to your spouse's achievements. I know there are worse things. Believe me! But "do tell," especially when the writer doesn't care enough not to check for typos, is as bad as "what say you?" or any number of formal-sounding small-talk terms like it where the speaker almost never actually cares how you respond.