Thursday, March 31, 2005

Bonus Quote of the Day

"This is not the homo land, this is the Holy Land."
--Rabbi Yehuda Levin of the Rabbinical Alliance of America

LINK

Quote of the Day

"All the guys came in wearing St. Louis Cardinal hats because obviously the Cardinals are visiting the Cardinals....St. Louis is a Conference USA team and everybody in Louisville roots for the St. Louis Cardinals."
--Former Kentucky and current Louisville coach Rick Pitino, March 31, 2005

LINK-video

I must admit that I am a St. Louis Cardinals fan, and my brother converted from being a Cubs fan. Did I mention my uncle is a Reds fan. My St. Louis Cardinal hat is not making as big of an uproar as I thought it would here.

TOM DELAY IS A SCHMUCK

Forgive my Yiddish but Tom Delay is indeed a schmuck.
U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, a "longtime supporter" of two Texas schools he recently criticized, has a longtime history with them, too. He was "asked not to re-register" at one after playing "pranks" at another.

DeLay angered alumni of Baylor and Texas A&M universities when word spread that he told a Baptist group not to send their children to the schools.

Talk radio across Texas zeroed in on DeLay April 18, after a copyright Houston Chronicle article reported he said: "Don't send your kids to Baylor. And don't send your kids to A&M."

DeLay made his remarks April 12 during a meeting at First Baptist Church in Pearland. A questioner, lamenting that creationism is not taught at major Texas universities, prompted the congressman to wave young people away from the two schools, the Chronicle reported.

After telling parents not to send their children to Baylor and A&M, historically known as two of the nation's most conservative major universities, DeLay said: "There are still some Christian schools out there--good, solid schools. Now, they may be little. They may not be as prestigious as Stanford. But your kids will get a good, solid, godly education."

He particularly focused on A&M, where his daughter, Danielle, graduated in 1995 and was repulsed by students who had sex in dormitories. "Texas A&M used to be a conservative university," the Chronicle reported the congressman as saying. "It's lost a lot of its conservatism, and it's renounced its traditions. It's really sad. My daughter ... had horrible experiences with coed dorms and guys who spent the weekends in the rooms with the girls, and all this kind of stuff went on there. It's just unbelievable."

As House majority whip, DeLay is the third-highest-ranking Republican. His remarks to the audience of about 300 people were taped without his knowledge, the Chronicle said.

Shortly after his comments became public, DeLay issued a statement regarding his relationship to the two Texas schools.[...]

DeLay spokesman Jonathan Grella said the congressman's remarks reflect his sentiments about a narrow issue, not the universities in general.

"He was responding to a specific comment at the event, and he gave (parents) frank advice," Grella told the Baptist Standard. "He said, 'If you're seeking a Christian education for your children, this is what you can do.' It was in relation to this specific context."

Grella also confirmed DeLay's specific early relationship to both Baylor and A&M.

DeLay attended Baylor from 1965 to 1967 before graduating from the University of Houston in 1970. But DeLay ended his student relationship with Baylor because of something that happened on the A&M campus.

"He was asked not to reregister" at Baylor, Grella acknowledged. "When the congressman was younger, his extra-curricular activities got him in trouble. He had a vigorous social life and accepts the consequences of his actions."

Asked if those actions took place at A&M during DeLay's student days, Grella told the Standard: "Yeah. ... They played some pranks."

Baylor's disciplinary action turned out well, Grella reported. "He has said they did him a favor."

DeLay became friends with Baylor Vice President W.C. Perry, who expelled DeLay but later supported his run for Congress, Grella said.
New Donkey
Greg's Opinion
Off the Kuff

This just gets interesting. Nobody should not tell someone where they should or shouldn't go to school.

Who is in St. Louis?

The following are confirmed for this weekend to be in St. Louis for the Final Four.
Ernie Fletcher - Louisville
Bill Murray - Illinois
Matthew McConaughey- Cancelled
Ryan Seacrest - Loft on Washington Avenue
Greg Kinnear - Suite somewhere
Cedric the Entertainer - St. Louis native
Jami Gertz - Still Standing star
Craig Ferguson - Late Late Show host
On Saturday, Hoobastank will be at "Championship Weekend at the Landing."

But the big night for music is Sunday. Huey Lewis and the News performs for the Bob Costas Cancer Center benefit at the Fox Theatre; Nelly and the St. Lunatics will be at the Savvis Center; and legendary reggae group Toots and the Maytals will be at Ameristar Casino.
Are autographs your cup of tea?
ESPN will hold court around the lake and south plaza area of the shopping center and anchor a number of broadcasts from there. The first show beamed up and out Thursday evening. Today, both a Final Four special (3 p.m.) and Sportscenter (4 p.m.) will be broadcast from there. Various pregame and postgame shows will be on Saturday and Monday, and broadcasts for the ESPNEWS channel will come from around the lake.

Broadcasters expected to be on hand include announcers Chris Fowler and Steve Lavin and former player and analyst Jay Bilas. And, of course, ESPN's trio of "old coaches" will be there - Dick Vitale, Rick Majerus and Digger Phelps.

Vitale will be a real man about town this weekend. At 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Vitale will sign autographs and shake hands at Union Station. Then on Sunday, Vitale will be in Forest Park to serve as honorary marshal of the Gerald L. Andriole Prostate Cancer Marathon Golf Tournament, which benefits prostate cancer research at the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Longtime sportscaster Dick Enberg will be signing autographs at Union Station at 1 p.m. Sunday at Sports Avenue, a memorabilia shop in the center.

Fox Sports Network has its own party/work area, in Laclede's Landing. It's called the FSN/Fox College Sports Fan Fest. At 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, the network's "Best Damn Sports Show Period" will be taped. The hosts include Tom Arnold.

Tucker Carlson: You're fired!

PBS doesn't want Tucker Carlson anymore. Does he still write for Reader's Digest?
The conservative commentator's upcoming nightly series on MSNBC and his relocation to New York made it impossible to continue, officials at Washington's WETA-TV, which produces the series, said yesterday.

"Tucker's series on PBS is smart and stimulating," said Jacoba Atlas, senior vice president of PBS programming. "We will miss having him on our air."

Mitch Hedberg: A Life cut Short

Comedian Mitch Hedberg passes away at 37. He was born February 24, 1968. The medical examiner told the family it was a heart attack but it is rumored to be a heroin overdose. I never saw him perform but he was just at Funny Bone a few weeks ago.
Even family and close friends had a hard time understanding Mitch Hedberg, a St. Paul native who ran away from home and, despite living a scattershot life, became a runaway success as a standup comic.

Hedberg, whose space-case persona was as much part of his soul as it was his act, died early Wednesday morning in a New Jersey hotel room. He was 37. A medical examiner hasn't issued findings, but Hedberg's family is told he suffered a heart attack. His wife was with him.

After graduating St. Paul's Harding High School, Hedberg rose through the ranks at Minneapolis' Acme Comedy Co., and caught his big break through a Comedy Central special. He made several appearances on David Letterman's and Conan O'Brien's shows, made more Comedy Central appearances and produced two comedy CDs. His big dream, to have an HBO comedy special, was in the works.

Hedberg's one-liners, dished off in a spacy staccato, were based on absurdist, random observations. His long, dirty blond hair harkened to the image of a 1970s stoner, and his success occurred in light of, in spite of and even because of his quarter-century affair with drugs and alcohol.

"I'd probably be living in Costa Rica, eating oranges on the beach, if I wasn't doing comedy," he told the Pioneer Press last September.

"There's no two ways about — having a son in entertainment industry is challenging," his mother, Mary Hedberg, said Thursday.

She recalls being at work when her oldest daughter called in a panic to tell her Mitch had packed some brown paper bags and left home. Mary Hedberg couldn't get home in time to either see him off or talk him out of it.

"That was heartbreaking for us, but he kept in contact with us. He called as soon as the car broke down," she said. "You know, it was like putting him through college, even though he wasn't at college. But when he got his first break, we were just so thrilled for him, because we wanted him to know he was O.K., and to have that self-confidence that he could do what he wanted to do."

Louis Lee, owner of the Acme, said Hedberg not only became the Twin Cities' first breakout comedian of the 1990s but, along with Lewis Black, helped shape a national resurgence in standup comedy.

"It's very difficult for one-liner comedians to get an audience going, but when Mitch worked here, you could see the kids call out the punchline," Lee said. "Mitch made the whole comedy community realize how important good writing is. It's a huge loss."

Unlike many comics, Hedberg was demonstrably thankful to his fans. Not long ago, a group of college students in Florida, speaking with Hedberg backstage after a show, mentioned how hot their dorm room was. Hedberg surprised them the next morning by showing up to their dorm with a new air conditioner.

"Mitch presented a lot of challenges, but a lot of opportunities for traveling that we wouldn't have otherwise had, and he had a heart of gold," his mother said. "He was a brilliant comic and a wonderful person."

Dates haven't been set, but eventual visitation and services will be at Wulff Family Services, Woodlane Mortuary, in Woodbury.
May he rest in peace.

A write-up of one of his final shows.

Ted Koppel to leave ABC

Koppel to leave by the end of the year.
Ted Koppel, who has anchored ABC News’ Nightline since its inception a quarter-century ago, said Thursday he will leave the network when his contract expires at the end of the year.

His departure comes at a time of questions about the future of his late-night news program, which has been declining in the ratings and was threatened three years ago when ABC tried to lure David Letterman from CBS.

“Ted and I have discussed a number of options under which he might have remained at ‘Nightline’ or in some other capacity at ABC News, but Ted believes this is the right time for him to leave,” ABC News President David Westin said.

Westin said he was optimistic that Nightline would continue with an orderly transition. Ultimately, ABC and parent Walt Disney Corp. executives will decide whether the network sticks with news in that time slot.

Nightline began as a series of special reports during the Iranian hostage crisis in November 1979 (originally anchored by Frank Reynolds) and became a regular newscast the following March. It was groundbreaking in its early years for how Koppel conducted live interviews with several subjects — a standard in television now but then a product of new technology.

The broadcast’s longtime executive producer, Tom Bettag, will also leave ABC News at year’s end.

Koppel, 65, is not retiring. He and Bettag plan to remain as a team for some future projects.

“This is exactly the opposite of Ted retiring,” Bettag said.

Koppel joined ABC News as a general assignment reporter in New York in 1963, at age 23. He was the network’s chief diplomatic assignment when Americans when the hostage crisis began his stint on Nightline.
So when will they move Jon Stewart over to ABC, a station that is becoming Anything but Comedy.

In entertainment today...

Michael Lohan has been charged with a felony. But why is he becoming a household name when his daughter is the celebrity? He may not be Billy Joel but he "allegedly driving drunk into a New York telephone pole last month" with a "suspended license." I thought my brother had bad driving skills when he hit the drive through at McDonald's...

Brad Pitt is now homeless. I don't think that will last long.

The Weinstein brothers will be leaving Miramax. That explains the Michael Eisner references...

Britney slams tabloids for saying she's pregnant. She never mentioned anything about the bad hydgiene...

The end of reality is upon us! Thank G-d!

GOP becoming the religious party?

Ambassador John Danforth wrote an op-ed to the NY Times:
By a series of recent initiatives, Republicans have transformed our party into the political arm of conservative Christians... The problem is not with people or churches that are politically active. It is with a party that has gone so far in adopting a sectarian agenda that it has become the political extension of a religious movement.
Nicely said, Ambassador.

That's not all, Connecticut Representative Chris Shays commented: "This Republican Party of Lincoln has become a party of theocracy."

Oh, and Senator Bunning dodged all my questions. I got a photo with the 2nd Hall of Famer I have ever met (in baseball). He's better known as a ball-player rather than someone who reads off of, I don't know, a teleprompter...

It's almost afternoon...

Comedy runs in Tracy Morgan's family.
"They were reluctant to give me an audition because they didn't know me. Lorne Michaels and (producer) Marci Klein saw me at the Comic Strip. ... It was zero to 1,000 in a day. I can actually remember when I got the phone call from Marci Klein. I was in the Bronx by Yankee stadium washing my car."
Colin Quinn takes his show on the road. Speaking of which, why was it replaced with reruns?
The onetime host of Comedy Central's Tough Crowd With Colin Quinn takes his standup act back on the road with a three-night gig at the Improv at Paradise Live. Quinn last hosted Tough Crowd on Nov. 4, 2004, at which time the cable network put the show on "indefinite hiatus," purportedly because the ratings weren't good. In the 11:30 p.m. slot after The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, Quinn and his panel of unexpurgated comics drew only about half the audience Stewart did.
The Best of Tom Hanks and The Best of Jon Lovitz hit stores on June 7, 2005 on DVD.

Kathleen Madigan is back in the news.
Madigan’s goal is to someday have a show of her own that riffs on current events, something along the line of Miller’s talk show or The Daily Show.”

Ironically, since reality TV shows like Last Comic Standing have had more of a place on the schedule, it’s knocked out chances many comedians had for sitcoms.
The Second City Tour Co. is hitting it up at University of Missouri-St. Louis. I recommend them.

Andy Dick anyone? He's performing again too.

So, Jon is in Detroit, eh?
The host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, comedian Jon Stewart has two shows Saturday night at the Detroit Opera House. The sarcastic and mirthful comic will no doubt be discussing current events, American politics and other hilarious subject matter. Show times are 7 and 10 p.m. Tickets cost $39.50-$48.50. The Detroit Opera House is at 1526 Broadway St. in Detroit.
That's it for now. Jim Bunning is in town...he's a Hall of Famer...but why is he even in the Senate?

Bonus Quote of the Day

"The religious bigotry of those statements is offensive on its face" and called them "indicative of a mindset that's continuing to alienate people of faith from the Democratic Party. It's no wonder that we lost more than 80% of the counties in this country.

"It's a measure of how wacky politics have become on both sides of the aisle when being broadly popular regardless of party affiliation is now seen as something negative. Most politicians — Democrat, Republican, Green or Independent — would kill to have Joe Lieberman's integrity and respect across the political system."
--Dan Gerstein on Keith Crane's remarks on Senator Joe Lieberman
LINK

I agree with Dan on this one. Just because one is Jewish does not mean that they should be aligned with the evangelicals.

Quote of the Day

"Martha Stewart's in the news again. She's complaining about her electronic ankle bracelet giving her a rash. To which Paris Hilton said: You mean I've been wearing an electronic ankle bracelet?"
--Conan O'Brien, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, March 30, 2005

Tonight's premiere

In the opening monologue, the sound was off a second or two and didn't match up with the mouth. The credits didn't appear at all...which I most most upset about.

News of the Wierd

LINK
Coulter received several standing ovations during her speech, but she also found herself interrupted several times by a small, scattered group of hecklers.

"I think there are some people in the audience who meant to be at the sexual reorientation class down the hall," Coulter said, in response to the heckling.

Moments later Coulter stopped and called for assistance from students when hecklers started in again and no one of authority was seen trying to stop them.

"Could 10 of the largest College Republicans start walking up and down the aisles and start removing anyone shouting?" Coulter asked. "Otherwise, this lecture is over."[...]

Coulter was paid $25,000 for her appearance, which was paid from the Vickers endowment fund, said Toni Dixon, director of communications for the KU School of Business. State and university money were not used, she said.
Well, it looks like she's not in Kansas anymore...

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Final Four

I need both Louisville and MSU in the championship game to win the sweet 16 bracket. I don't like MSU or UNC and it's very hard to root for Louisville...

Sad...

NBC broke into the season finale...

In other, more important news, Theodore Herzl's grave was desacrated by vandalism. That's the least of it. David Ben Gurion's was too. This conflict was supposed to be at a cease-fire. That didn't last too long, did it? To those who vandalized or to anyone else thinking the same thing, as Dick Cheney once said: Go f*** yourself.

Also, an act happened at the holy Temple Mount.
The word "Allah" in Arabic was found hewn into the eastern wall of Jerusalem's Temple Mount, in one of the worst acts of vandalism at the history-rich site in the last several years, archaeologists and eyewitnesses said Wednesday.

The vandalism was discovered late Tuesday night on a half-meter section of the 2,000 year old wall, which is undergoing repair by a team of Jordanian engineers.

Jerusalem police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said that police suspect that one of the Arab workers repairing the wall was behind the vandalism, adding that police had opened an investigation into the incident.

"This vandalism, coupled with Israel's lack of archaeological supervision at Judaism's holiest site is simply lawlessness of the first order on the part of the Government," said Temple Mount expert and Hebrew University archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar.

Mazar's non-partisan 'Committee Against the Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount,' which has been decrying the lack of archaeological supervision at the site for five years now, launched a complaint with police against the vandalism, which
police said would be removed by mid-morning.

Israel's Antiquities Authority had no immediate comment Wednesday.

According to decades-old arrangements in place at the site, Israel maintains overall security control of the Temple Mount while the Wakf or Islamic Trust is in charge of the day-to-day maintenance of the compound.

In the late 1990's, following the construction of an underground mosque at the site, Islamic Wakf officials dumped more than 12,000 tons of earth, with history-rich artifacts, at a garbage dump outside the Old City, an action which Israeli archaeologists called "an unprecedented archaeological crime."

In contravention of the law, Israeli archaeologists from the Antiquities Authority have not been carrying out supervision for more than four years now at the bitterly contested site due to their concern about renewed Palestinian violence.
Violence ain't solving anything.

Jewschool Link

Evening News Roundup

I feel the need to speak on this subject. As you may know by now, I am Jewish. However, I am against the removal of Jews in Eretz Yisrael no matter where they live. It's our G-d given right to live there (It's in the Tanakh). Some liberals may disagree with me there but my people have been pushed around for far too long. Why do you think we have all these holidays? We survived and that is a miracle.

In 1998, on this date, The Kentucky Wildcats beat the Utah Utes 78-69 after being down by eight points at the half.

Barney Martin, better known as Morty Seinfeld, has died at the age of 82.

Who has been Jewriffic lately?

7. Best Jon Stewart line of the week: "They abbreviated the Holocaust ?. All them J's died in Auschwitz." -- Jon Stewart referring to the "Mike's H'caust Honor" headline that appeared in the New York Post.

8. Second best Jon Stewart line of the week: "It means a lot to this Jew to get an award from the people who really do run the media." -- Jon Stewart accepting an award at the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Media Awards dinner.

9. Best Jon Stewart video clip of the week: The part with Pat Buchanan is the best. Click here to watch.

A must read article on some guy who has his own show. I think Jon Stewart...

Where's the free speech filling?

Bush critics not allowed in any events...period! Uh, can somebody say that George W. Bush does not believe in free speech. To deny those the right to hear the President speak is a violation of the freedom of assembly. Unless they specifically threatened him, they should not be ejected. They did not committ an illegal penalty or a technical foul, did they? Were they arguing with the umpire?!?

We now interrupt your regularly scheduled blog entry to bring you this special report!
Humans are damaging the planet at an unprecedented rate and raising risks of abrupt collapses in nature that could spur disease, deforestation or "dead zones" in the seas, an international report said on Wednesday.

The study, by 1,360 experts in 95 nations, said a rising human population had polluted or over-exploited two thirds of the ecological systems on which life depends, ranging from clean air to fresh water, in the past 50 years.

"At the heart of this assessment is a stark warning," said the 45-member board of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment.

"Human activity is putting such strain on the natural functions of Earth that the ability of the planet's ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted," it said.

Ten to 30 percent of mammal, bird and amphibian species were already threatened with extinction, according to the assessment, the biggest review of the planet's life support systems.

"Over the past 50 years, humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively than in any comparable time in human history, largely to meet rapidly growing demands for food, fresh water, timber, fiber and fuel," the report said.

"This has resulted in a substantial and largely irreversible loss in the diversity of life on earth," it added. More land was changed to cropland since 1945, for instance, than in the 18th and 19th centuries combined.

GETTING WORSE
"The harmful consequences of this degradation could grow significantly worse in the next 50 years," it said. The report was compiled by experts, including from U.N. agencies and international scientific and development organizations.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the study "shows how human activities are causing environmental damage on a massive scale throughout the world, and how biodiversity -- the very basis for life on earth -- is declining at an alarming rate."

The report said there was evidence that strains on nature could trigger abrupt changes like the collapse of cod fisheries off Newfoundland in Canada in 1992 after years of over-fishing.

Future changes could bring sudden outbreaks of disease. Warming of the Great Lakes in Africa due to climate change, for instance, could create conditions for a spread of cholera.

And a build-up of nitrogen from fertilizers washed off farmland into seas could spur abrupt blooms of algae that choke fish or create oxygen-depleted "dead zones" along coasts.

It said deforestation often led to less rainfall. And at some point, lack of rain could suddenly undermine growing conditions for remaining forests in a region.

The report said that in 100 years, global warming widely blamed on burning of fossil fuels in cars, factories and power plants, might take over as the main source of damage. The report mainly looks at other, shorter-term risks.

And it estimated that many ecosystems were worth more if used in a way that maintains them for future generations.

A wetland in Canada was worth $6,000 a hectare (2.47 acres), as a habitat for animals and plants, a filter for pollution, a store for water and a site for human recreation, against $2,000 if converted to farmland, it said. A Thai mangrove was worth $1,000 a hectare against $200 as a shrimp farm.

"Ecosystems and the services they provide are financially significant and...to degrade and damage them is tantamount to economic suicide," said Klaus Toepfer, head of the U.N. Environment Program.

The study urged changes in consumption, better education, new technology and higher prices for exploiting ecosystems.

"Governments should recognize that natural services have costs," A.H. Zakri of the U.N. University and a co-chair of the report told Reuters. "Protection of natural services is unlikely to be a priority for those who see them as free and limitless."
Blogging will resume after the taping of Sports Break with Rob Johnson.

Galarraga retires

Andres Galarraga retires with 399 career home runs.

Kevin Appier might be next. He will not go back to the minor leagues and will retire unless another team decides to sign him.

Former Rookie of the Year Ben Grieve will be sent down to Indianapolis so I need to see when he will be in the Ville next.
Grieve hit .355 with no homers and nine RBI this spring as a non-roster outfielder, but had played sparingly of late as it became obvious he would not make the team. He asked the Pirates for some time to make up his mind about reporting to Indianapolis, since he has the option to become a free agent.

"I'd have to get readjusted to minor league life," he said. "I've been in the big leagues for seven years and no one wants to go back and play in the minor leagues again."

Rudy Guiliani joins Bracewell & Patterson

The first order of business is to rename the firm Enron and Company...just kidding.

Actually, the firm represented Enron and will be open a New York office to be named Bracewell and Guiliani.

Of course, there is that idea of damage control which they have to start doing sometime soon, right?
The Houston law firm of Bracewell & Patterson has severed all ties with bankrupt Enron Corp., the law firm's managing partner said Wednesday.

The firm's politically connected lawyers -- who include Republican National Committee Chairman Marc Racicot and Texas Republican attorney general candidate Greg Abbott -- have faced criticism that their relationships with a law firm working for Enron and their official positions could pose conflicts.
Somebody has just ended their political career...

LINK

Matt Brown for Senate 2006 (Rhode Island)

With Congressman Patrick Kennedy out of the race now, I endorse Secretary of State Matt Brown for the United States Senate.

Final Four information

LINK.
Thanks to my brother for the heads up. He's skipping economics this Friday so that he can attend the Louisville practice. That's very unlike my brother...

Here are the hotels where the Final Four teams will be staying, beginning tonight:
Louisville: Sheraton City Center, 400 S. 14th Street, St. Louis
Michigan State: Sheraton Clayton Plaza, 7730 Bonhomme Ave, Clayton
North Carolina: Adam’s Mark, 4th and Chestnut Street, St. Louis
Illinois: Marriott Downtown, One Broadway Street, St. Louis

* * *
The teams will practice Friday at the Edward Jones Dome. The practice sessions are free and open to the public. Doors open at 10:30 a.m. Here are the practice times (approximate):

Louisville: Noon to 12:50 p.m.
Michigan State: 1-1:50 p.m.
Illinois: 2:10-3 p.m.
North Carolina: 3:10-4 p.m.

Darn it, Coach Hall! You're not supposed to say that!
It was a scene that Louisville had not seen the likes of in quite some time. It had taken 19 years to restore the basketball team to Final Four form, and it was done by Pitino, who less than 10 years ago was loyal to the Cardinals' rival school - Kentucky.

But fans have forgiven, especially this year, especially after Kentucky lost in the Elite Eight and Louisville was the lone team from the state playing in the Final Four.

"We as a school are on a great run right now," Pitino said, listing the accomplishments of some of the other Louisville athletic programs. "This is like being a great pianist and getting to play in Carnegie Hall. This is what's it's all about. The town is very excited because this is a pride factor."

Several fans said much of that pride stems from being able to laugh at Kentucky fans for not making it to St. Louis. But Kentucky fans are quick to brush off Louisville. Most said the school is allowed to have one accomplishment, as long as it doesn't make it a habit.

"I think we're all a little jealous now," former Kentucky coach Joe B. Hall said. "The real hardcore fans, you know, the ones who don't let their kids wear red - ever, don't want to see them do well, but I think a lot of Kentucky fans will be cheering for them. ... But Kentucky will always be the school. It is nice to see Louisville has come around. It will make things more competitive."

Hall, who hosts a morning show in Louisville with former Louisville coach Denny Crum, said that he would have liked to see an all-Kentucky final, but that the Wildcats didn't get the type of draw in the bracket that Louisville did. He said the Wildcats had a tougher road, playing Utah and Michigan State in the last two rounds, as opposed to Louisville playing Washington and West Virginia.

"I'm just saying that if Kentucky had the draw Louisville had, I think the roles would be reversed," Hall said. "I don't think Louisville needs my cheering, and if I gave advice to Louisville, I'd have to move from Lexington." But some fans in attendance weren't shy about cheering for Louisville, even if it did disappoint those close to them. Katie Parker, a junior from Ashland, Ky., said she grew up in a diehard Kentucky family, but that she cheers for Louisville without any remorse.
Before I go on any further, I root against Louisville all year long but I really like Coach Pitino for what he did for the Kentucky program especially with the 1996 championship. I wanted that all-Kentucky final in my sweet 16 bracket entry. Anyway, I'm off to lunch right now. Oh, and Marc might be seeing Kelly Clarkson and Joss Stone...

An open letter to any 2007 Kentucky candidate

If anyone plans on running statewide here in Kentucky in 2007, I'll try and get them on the show as a guest sometime after they announce that they are running--of course, if they have already been on the show--I'm not sure. Hopefully, I'll have a car by then. I still feel guilty for not doing anything in 2003 as I was busy preparing for going to college in a state not so far away. I thought booking guests would be harder than writing the show...

Uh, what's that, Madonna?

William Donohue wasn't the only one offended. I am and I am sure many Jews are too. Jews just don't go out as nuns or a pope on a Jewish holiday. Note to Madonna: You might think you mean well but you don't. Where's Adam Sandler?!? We need another song now to remind people that, uh, Madonna, she's not Jewish. No matter what she says and I will never refer to her as the Hebrew-esque name she wants. I know I am ranting but her behavior is very un-Jewish like. She is exploiting Judaism and we will not tolerate this.

Jinx can Die Another Day. However, a Storm may be a-brewing.

Does J-Lo own Billboard? Magazine is pressured to drop advertisement. I don't care for PETA at all. Once you threaten to desacrate a grave site, you go over the line and appear on the "I will not stop at anything to ruin your organization" list.

This should post correctly...

Note to Ben Stein, why do you get away with all this especially when you invoke you know who?

Greg Stumbo will sue for KAPT. Is he thinking about a future run for higher office? That's the vibe I'm getting from this.

Janeane Garafalo is living a dream come true.
Years ago, when they were struggling stand-up comedians, Garofalo and her friend Sam Seder used to fantasize about having their very own radio show — perhaps on a pirate station broadcasting from a garbage scow off Rhode Island, Seder had suggested.[...]

Garofalo grew up in a conservative Catholic family in Houston and New Jersey, graduating from Katy's Taylor High School and Providence College in Rhode Island. She started her career by wangling stand-up gigs around New England. She also lived in Houston for a year or two while honing her stand-up skills.

Frequently cast as "the sarcastic friend of the lead, someone world-weary and unlucky in love," she noted dryly, Garofalo appeared in several dozen movies including The Truth About Cats and Dogs and Reality Bites.

She also was a regular on the Emmy-winning Ben Stiller Show, did six months on Saturday Night Live and several seasons as a sardonic booker on The Larry Sanders Show.
Chuck Hayes will be honored at Kentucky with a retired Jersey. Not a matter of if, but when
In the last four years, the forward's hard-nosed play and dependability have earned him a spot in UK lore, but thanks to new criteria for honoring athletes at UK, he'll have to wait at least 10 years before seeing his No. 44 jersey raised in Rupp.

The waiting period is part of UK's creation of an Athletics Hall of Fame, team spokesman Scott Stricklin said.

"There's a lot of emotion right now about this team and about Chuck Hayes, and rightly so," he said. "If it's right today, it will be right 10 years from now."[...]

"He was a winner," said Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo. "He was to UK what Mateen Cleaves was to me, what Magic Johnson was to (former Michigan State head coach) Jud Heathcote."

Currently, 41 jerseys have been retired at Rupp Arena, and UK has never had any criteria for that honor.

Four members of 1992 "Unforgettables" team - Richie Farmer, Deron Feldhaus, John Pelphrey and Sean Woods - had their jerseys retired just days after playing their last game.

That won't happen again.

With the opening of the UK Athletics Hall of Fame, a new process will be created to retire jerseys, Stricklin said.

Athletes will be eligible for the Hall of Fame five years after leaving UK, and one can receive a retired jersey five years after entering the Hall of Fame.

In April, UK will announce the charter class of the UK Athletics Hall of Fame. The 89 members of this class will be those who have had jerseys retired or who have been added to the ring of honor at Commonwealth Stadium.

A 16-person committee will choose who goes into the Hall of Fame. The committee will include UK officials, past honorees and campus representatives.

A subcommittee will be formed to decide which Hall of Fame members will have jerseys retired.

"It won't be an emotional story," Stricklin said. "It will be done for the right reason."

With a player like Hayes, 10 years seems a long time to wait.

Schools such as the University of California at Los Angeles, Duke, Kansas, Louisville and North Carolina do not have waiting periods - although some do have very selective criteria. At some of those places, a player like Hayes would never be honored with a retired jersey.

But a player like Hayes does not need a retired jersey to add to his legacy.

The emotional responses he drew from coaches, teammates, fans and even opponents will always be his greatest legacy.

No one will forget Hayes in the next 10 years. No one forgets someone like that so fast. Besides, that ceremony in 2015 will be a nice excuse to reminisce about Hayes' playing days.
I beg to differ
Meg's boyfriend gets a letter from Uncle Sam on American Dreams (8 p.m., NBC). This marks the season, and probably the series, finale for Dreams.
After all, how many CSI, Law and Order's and reality shows do we need? I will stop at nothing to save this show.

Blogger is acting up today...as usual.

Quote(s) of the Day

On the porn film:
"It depends...you know...one who I was supposed to be..."

On O'Reilly:
"You try not to take any pleasure on from someone else's misfortune...It was too bad..."

On traditional and secular views:
"I didn't know phone sex was traditional...:
--Al Franken, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, March 29, 2005

Charity is back on

The Neil Simon play is on once again and will open two weeks later than scheduled with Christina Applegate.

I need to find a quote of the day...Jon Stewart = reruns = no quote before midnight. I'll wait til Conan...another late night!

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Uh, what next?

Only in Rhode Island can this happen. Because if it were in Kentucky, the Capitol would be evacuated...
What are you doing here?

That's the question that likely popped into Lt. Gov.Charles J. Fogarty 's mind the other week. Fogarty was sitting on an airplane, preparing to take off from T.F. Green, when Governor Carcieri boarded the same flight.

As a matter of practice, the governor and lieutenant governor -- his would-be successor -- don't travel on the same airplane, just in case something goes terribly wrong with the flight.

However, on March 17, the two officials both opted for the same flight en route to Washington, D.C., where they were headed for discussions on proposed liquefied natural gas terminals in Providence and Fall River.

Fogarty booked his ticket on March 8; Carcieri reserved his the next day. But apparently neither official's office bothered to tell the other its travel plans.

"It was a surprise to the lieutenant governor," said Fogarty's spokeswoman Susan Pegden. Pegden said Fogarty was already buckled into his seat, ready to leave when Carcieri boarded, and Fogarty "did not feel as though he had the choice to get off the plane at that point."

Carcieri and Fogarty weren't the only high-ranking officials on the flight to Washington. Rhode Island's U.S. Attorney, Robert Clark Corrente , and Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline were also there, according to Pegden.

Carcieri and Fogarty had picked separate flights for their return to Rhode Island, and both made the roundtrip safely.

(For the record, the plane they shared, a Boeing 737-300, has one of the best safety records in the business. According to airsafe.com, the fatality rate is .22 deaths per million miles flown.)

Last April, Fogarty canceled plans to welcome home National Guard troops at Fort Drum in upstate New York because Carcieri would by flying out there on the same military C-130 airplane.

So who would become governor if something happens to both officials? Article IX, Section 10 of the state Constitution calls for the speaker of the House to fill the vacancy.
Like the New England states need new Governors anytime soon...New Jersey, Connecticutt...

Is the Sanhedrin coming back?

Being a Jew and a descendent of Aharon, I found this article in New Voices, a Jewish student magazine, of interest. I was just doing some rereading of what the Sanhedrin did back in the Rabbinic period earlier in the day. This was written by a student named Alicia Oltuski.
Temple Tantrum
Messianic predictions are as ubiquitous in the Holy Land as leaks in Boston’s Big Dig. But though they issued a standard declaration of messianic imminence, the assembly of 71 that gathered in Jerusalem last October were no apocalyptic amateurs. No, according to the Jerusalem Post, this was a group of rabbinical throwbacks bubbling over with plans to create a modern-day Sanhedrin–a religious court a la ancient Israel–and to overthrow the Israeli government in favor of good old-fashioned monarchy.

This will be the first Sanhedrin in 1,600 years. To live up to such a tall order, the latter-day tribunal lobby, commonly known as the Monarchists, won’t be led by any Hymie or Mendel. Rather, the group has been hunting for the candidate with the best Davidic pedigree–the hereditary prerequisite for being Israel’s monarch, not to mention messiah. After intensive bloodline investigations of families suspected of bearing close lineage to the rock-slinging ancient, the group has found a winner: Rabbi Yosef Dayan, hailing from the West Bank settlement of Pesagot. Dayan is best known for public death threats against current Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. And since he is the only candidate to hold grade-A proofs of Davidic ancestral descent, he’s highly popular among his followers (despite rumors of a vicious attack campaign from “Swift Tabernacle Toters for Truth”).

Their leader selected, the group is considering the thorny issue of how to topple a modern democratic state in favor of ancient-style theocracy. Dayan sees two possible routes: the nation itself may shake off the yoke of democracy, resulting in a coup that brings Dayan to power. Or, just maybe, he told Post reporters, a cosmological transformation will take place, resulting in the institution of the monarchy. This latter, more enigmatic option–a scenario in which, Dayan explained, “no one will know how it will be until it happens”–was predicted by twelfth-century philosopher Maimonides, and Dayan maintains it is the more plausible of the possibilities.

Though most compare the Monarchists’ legitimacy to that of a French “Sanhedrin” convened by Napoleon in 1807 for the purpose of curtailing Jews’ rights, the judges themselves are keeping busy. Among their recent initiatives is the erection of a Passover altar on the Temple Mount, hopefully to result in reinstitution of the pre-destruction sacrificial lamb ceremony. The Sanhedrin helpfully offers followers two methods for accomplishing the sacred rite: either build and avail yourself of the altar very quickly–before Israeli security gets its hands on you–or await another Tsunami-like disaster that would render security ineffective. With recommendations like this one, the Sanhedrin is sure to make a name for itself in no time flat.
Hashkafah message board link.

Recapping the weekend...

Did Patrick Sparks blast CBS Analyst Billy Packer? I don't know but this is pretty fishy:
Michigan State upset UK 80-68 in the 1957 Mideast Region finals in Memorial Coliseum. If UK had won, the Cats would have advanced to play unbeaten North Carolina in the Final Four. This year, Michigan State advanced to a game against North Carolina in next weekend's Final Four in St. Louis.
But anyway, I did look into and this is what was said on the rumored blasting:
Sparks appeared to direct angry words at Packer, who sat near mid-court along the sideline opposite the team benches.

"I was just caught up in the moment," the UK guard said. "I was just going that way, my momentum was going that way."

Packer denied that Sparks said anything inappropriate.

"I slapped hands with him," said Packer, who noted that Sparks' three-pointer compensated for missing the front end of a one-and-one with 27.1 seconds left. "I felt so bad for him."

As for Sparks approaching him, Packer said, "I think it was because he was so elated."

When the double-overtime game ended, Sparks ignored the customary handshakes and headed toward the locker room. Michigan State's Chris Hill intercepted Sparks, who shook his hand, before heading off the court.

"It was such an emotional game," Sparks said. "I was so emotionally drained. I had a bad feeling and a sore taste in my mouth. My stomach hurt."
Expect the Wildcats to be in the preseason top ten this fall:
"It was a great game, and sometimes you get it and sometimes you don't," Kentucky senior forward Chuck Hayes said after his standout career ended one game shy of his ultimate goal. "You figure if you give everything you have and with all the hard work, you know you will get the result that you want."

That Kentucky (28-6) would be in position to play for a Final Four berth seemed somewhat improbable in November, as the Wildcats entered the season with three new starters.

While junior guard Patrick Sparks, a transfer from Western Kentucky, was somewhat of a known quantity, two starters were freshmen -- point guard Rajon Rondo and center Randolph Morris. Rondo and Morris joined guards Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley to form one of the nation's most touted freshmen classes.

None of the freshmen became immediate stars, and Crawford even left the team for a week in January in a dispute with coach Tubby Smith over playing time. But by season's end, all four players had made significant contributions, and Rondo had set a single-season school record for steals with 87.

It wasn't just the freshman class that developed. The team's four sophomores -- centers Shagari Alleyne and Lukasz Obrzut and forwards Bobby Perry and Sheray Thomas -- also became part of Smith's deep playing rotation.

The 7-foot-3 Alleyne received most of the early headlines, as he scored in double figures in three of the team's first six games. His playing time dwindled as the season progressed because of academic issues, but the 7-foot Obrzut emerged late in the season as a contributor.

With Morris in foul trouble during a regional semifinal, Obrzut and Alleyne teamed to frustrate Utah All-America center Andrew Bogut, keying the Wildcats' 62-52 win.

Thomas missed the season's first month after surgery to remove a tennis ball-sized benign tumor in early October. He returned by mid-December and helped Perry spell Hayes along the frontline.

Bradley, Crawford, the four sophomores and junior walk-on Ravi Moss each averaged between 6.4 and 12.3 minutes per game.

Kentucky's light early schedule -- Coppin State, Ball State, Georgia State and Tennessee Tech -- resulted in a 4-0 start, but a trip to North Carolina on Dec. 4 gave the Wildcats their first loss, 91-78.

A highlight of the season came Dec. 18, when the Wildcats rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit to win 60-58 at eventual Final Four qualifier Louisville. Sparks became an instant legend by making three free throws with less than a second left to win the game.
Charles Edward Hayes Jr. is just "Chuck."

Tubby Smith is staying

Andy Katz of ESPN reports:
Smith met with Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart on Tuesday morning and told the AD that he was committed to fulfilling the remaining six years of his contract, Kentucky spokesperson Scott Stricklin told ESPN.com.

Virginia hasn't officially asked for permission to speak with Smith, Stricklin said. But there have been a number of sources close to Virginia that said the Cavaliers wanted to make a run at Smith. The Wildcats have a strong nucleus returning next season, led by freshman point guard Rajon Rondo and center Randolph Morris.
Kelenna Azubuike's status is still unclear.

Newsday has the scoop on getting tickets to television shows. I have better luck seeing Faith Ford and Kelly Ripa than meeting Jon Stewart.

Lieberman has not violated the law but his opponent did. Former Waterbury Mayor Philip Giordano is serving a 37 year sentence for sexual abuse. Take note, Michael Jackson!

Johnnie Cochran has died at the age of 67 to a brain tumor. Cochran was noted for the phrase: "If it don't fit, you must acquit.

The Quinnipac Chronicle chronicles Jon Stewart...

Blogger

anyone else having trouble updating at all?

Show Update #2

The show goes into post production today.

Getting contact with elected officials about being a guest on the show (tapes every Monday at 5 PM). Getting guests, I'd say, is the hardest as you never know who will back out when or if they get lost, etc.

A recent poll has come out with findings that most Harvard students are unhappy. That explains Tommy Lee Jones' face but you never know how depressed they could be when you get 3 feet of snow and then are in debt when they graduate.

The name's Bond. Orlando Bloom Bond. "The first Young 007 movie will be based on new novel Silverfin and will be set in the 1930s, years before Bond discovered he likes his Martinis shaken, not stirred. The film will follow the young Bond from school at Eton, England, to his uncle's house in the west Highlands." It is not said whether Q will be in this one...sadly.

Somebody is not working out enough...Scarlet Johannsson injured herself on the set.

Star Wars exposed? Carrie Fisher is set to write a book exposing the plan of the Sith...

Was that? No, it can't be! But it is! Ben Affleck DID cameo in Elektra but the scene was deleted...

Madonna exploits Judaism. What's next? Islam?

Morning News Roundup

The University of Virginia seeks permission to speak with Tubby Smith. Tubby better stay. If he leaves, do we bring back Rick Pitino, Billy Donovan, Herb Sendek, Travis Ford, etc.?

Closer comes out on DVD and video today. I need to head over to Blockbuster sometime to rent it...oh, wait, I don't have a car to get there!

Max Burns is back from his month off. He didn't awaken to the news that Steve Carell was bombarded with upon his return though.

The NY Post reports that Governor George Pataki will not run for re-election. This means the Bush administration will search for a candidate for Governor and Senator. However, Eliot Spitzer will soon be Governor-elect.

Conservatives are splitting on social security...and everything else.

The United States has said that rights are key to relations. As opposed to lefts? The key to relations are good listening skills, eye contact, verbal and nonverbal behavior (I take interpersonal communication)...

Steve Carell's adventures in comedy:
Carell, 41, grew up in Concord, Mass. His first comic forays were to try to make “my older brothers' girlfriends laugh by doing something odd ... like dressing up as an alien for no apparent reason and coming down to dinner.”

His first paying job was at Chicago's Second City comedy troupe, where he honed his improv skills and met his wife, actress Nancy Walls.
I've seen the Second City Tour Company where I saw Eric Drysdale's sister perform.

Open Thread

because i can!

Not much going on...

Top Ten signs you are a Jewish Cubs Fan
by Shlomo Hubscher, Tel Aviv, Israel

10. One morning, your name is Steve Bartman, a good Jewish cubs fan. The next morning Cubs fans the world over are blaming the Jews not only for prevention of world peace, but also maintaining “the curse”. Only now do you feel ready to come out of hiding in order to submit this list to BangItOut.com.
9. You suggest to the shul board to plant ivy in the back of the shul to instill awe and inspiration for davening.
8. You start attending brit milas, where children’s names are Sammy, Moishe (Moises), and Kerry.
7. You find yourself often mixing up the phrases “Next year is our year” and “L’shana Haba’ah b’Yerushalayim.
6. You realize that there’s no coincidence that the Cubs colors are blue and white.
5. Holidays take on a new meaning: You consider Nissan the “Time of our Redemption” because it usually coincides with Opening Day at Wrigley. Instead of concentrating on self-reflection come Yom Kippur, you find yourself reflecting on the holes in the cubbies’ lineup wondering what kind of teshuva is necessary to get them into the playoffs NEXT year.
4. Also during Ellul, when beating your chest for “al chaits”, you find yourself doing the Sammy kissing of two fingers.
3. You and your people have long wandered the desert, believing with steadfast faith, that you will reach the promised land one day.
2. Despite years of trials and tribulations, of mockery and persecution from your enemies, Yemach Shemam (Yankee Fans), you nonetheless remain identified and affiliated.
1. Mesilat Yesharim teaches us to view this life as but a vestibule to the World to Come, to cope with the difficulties and challenges of this world, for all the sweeter will it be when we arrive at the World to Come. So too, as Cubs fans, we must see these last 96 years of exile, of being in the baseball Diaspora, as a necessary prelude, so that we are zocheh the sweetness that will be the World Championship.

Since I am in mourning right now, I might as well list this one.

Top Ten Similarities between the NCAA Tournament and Passover
By Dick Viytare in Shas

10. March Madness is what you call the month prior to Pesach when you clean your house
9. The Final Four is a clear reference to the Four Sons
8. Dick Vitale shares the same hair style as Yuel Brenner
7. Sweet Sixteen is the unmentioned final step of the seder night: Going to sleep drunk
6. Wildcats, Longhorns, Terrapins, Hawks, Tigers, add up to one crazy dose of Arbah
5. Talk about snubbed, the Jews were put in the lowest bracket for over 200 years
4. After all is said and done, the Egyptians are definitely going to be upset
3. You call your #1 pick "The Chosen People"
2. At the Big Dance (Sinai) the Jews became the sleeper
1. NCAA is actually one of the lost acronymns of Rabbi Gamliel: Negotiate Cash for Afikomen Abduction

This might explain my mom's side and the anorexia.
Top Ten Stereotypes of Jewish Girls
by Heyden Graham

10. She'll "just have the salad"
9. Her name is Rachel
8. She’s five foot two
7. She has curly dark hair (but she blows it straight)
6. She's "really down to earth"
5. Skirts to shul, track pants to the gym
4. She is a social worker/teacher/health care provider/Jewish service professional
3. She loves children
2. She always has to pee
1. And the last, best stereotype of a Jewish Girl: She’s always cold.

Quote of the Day

"18 billion viewers"
--Steve Carell, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, March 28, 2005

Monday, March 28, 2005

Blogad

Finally got around to making an advertisement for the blog.

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

What else is new?

This has an interesting take on the matter.
I think Jon Stewart of The Daily Show is a modern day symbol of our generation. Although Stewart is a comedian (and I admit his show is hilarious sometimes), the material that Stewart dishes out is of a type that preys upon the perceived faults of other people. Even if there is no fault, he'll provide some reason to find fault. He presents the viewpoint that everyone has selfish motives. Everyone is an idiot. Everyone is a hypocrite.
So Fever Pitch has the perfect ending?

I share the sentiments with Lexington Native Austin Kearns. I should try and get him on the show sometime, shouldn't I?
A.K. and UK: An interesting subplot in Reds camp has been watching Austin Kearns' reaction as his beloved Kentucky Wildcats advanced through the NCAA Tournament.

The Wildcats' wild ride came to a dramatic end Sunday night with a 94-88 double-overtime loss to Michigan State.

The loss was a bummer for Kearns, a Lexington, Ky., native, but he said he enjoyed the run while it lasted.

"They had their chances," he said of the Wildcats. "It was a good game, though. It was an unbelievable weekend of basketball."

Kearns said he has no idea who will come out on top among the Final Four of Michigan State, North Carolina, Louisville and Illinois.

"I think it's up for grabs," Kearns said. "Anybody can win it. At the beginning, I thought Carolina would win the thing, but they look vulnerable and they might have some trouble with Michigan State. It's a coin flip."
This is hilarious:
*29 have been accused of spousal abuse
*7 have been arrested for fraud
*19 have been accused of writing bad checks
*117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses
*3 have done time for assault
*71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit
*14 have been arrested on drug-related charges
*8 have been arrested for shoplifting
*21 are currently defendants in lawsuits
*84 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year

Can you guess which organization this is? Give up yet?

It's the 535 members of the United States Congress.

Show Update

Tonight's taping went well. An additional sketch will be taped tomorrow afternoon and the show should be aired tomorrow night.

I feel good about this show. I just survived a fire alarm going off. It's too cold for gym shorts.

Breaking: Andrew Bogut to go pro

Utah sophomore Andrew Bogut is expected to make an announcement that he wishes to pursue a career in the NBA.

That's no Esther!

Madonna goes dressed as a nun for Purim. Uh, that's not the way someone studying Kaballah would dress...it's just not Jewy (Jon Stewart invented that word!) at all!!

Thank you,Chuck Hayes








BlueGrassRoots Tribute

Thanks again, Chuck, for four great years. You are one of the greatest ambassadors to the sport. Best of luck in future endeavors.

What's Jack Kemp reading?

"Jack Kemp was seen Friday at the Bethesda Barnes & Noble buying 'Why the Jews Rejected Jesus'"
Uh, Jack, why do you not know the answer? Read Devarim 13. It's in there alright. Read it for yourself. Moreover, the Moshiach coming means world peace and the Temple would never have fallen if that were the case. Is that the answer you were looking for. Or head over to this link. If that is not satisfactory enough, check over at Jews for Judaism. But don't just take my word for it. There's also Jon Stewart...

LINK.

Lunch break coming soon...

It's official: Jennifer and Brad Pitt are officially divorcing. America is hurting. America is in pain. A couple will rise up and take America by storm.

Star Wars: The Blake Jury Strikes Back. That's the name of the sequel where Steve Cooley gets a bad rep for calling a jury "incredibly stupid." Isn't that what the British said about, oh, I don't know, almost 60 million Americans?!?

Never go on a safari trip alone. That's what Cameron Diaz is thinking right now.

Too good to be true? Of course, Michael wants a maximum age of 12 when performing.

One has to feel sorry for Lindsay Lohan. Her grandmother is worse than mine. The family's spokesperson says: "Lindsay's grandmother has been nothing but unsupportive of (Lindsay's mother) Dina and the children and doing her son's dirty work." Dirty work? That's Norm's job!

Charity closes. Barry Weissler was "forced to cancel its run on Broadway, New York, following poor ticket sales after its star Christina Applegate was forced to pull out." I hope things work out.

If the Rain comes

No, wait, it's already here...it better stop before my 3:25 class so I am not soaked during production of the show.

Accountability? Shouldn't they already be on this?
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has suggested the lack of armored Humvees was simply beyond the Pentagon's control.

When Tennessee Army National Guard Spc. Thomas Wilson asked during a public session with Rumsfeld in Kuwait last December why the Army didn't have enough reinforced Humvees, Rumsfeld replied, "You go to war with the Army you have. They're not the Army you might want or wish to have at a later time."
Are you saying that these aren't the troops we need in Iraq?!? Send Jenna and Barbara to do their dad's job then.

We had the game in our hands during the final minute of the first overtime. Coulda, woulda, shoulda but didn't.

Evan Bayh just needs to go on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
The biggest rap against him so far is that he is a boring speaker with no juice. His keynote speech at the 1996 Democratic convention was a dud, reminiscent of Bill Clinton's aimless, verbose convention keynote speech in 1988. Clinton learned from his mistake and pepped up his style and disciplined his tongue; Bayh seems to be in the process of doing the same.

At a Jackson-Jefferson day dinner in Colorado, Bayh put on a boffo performance. He is working on the personality problem. He told homey, self-deprecating jokes, talked intimately about his family, attacked the Bush administration for being on the "wrong path," and called for a stronger sense of patriotism. If Bayh can keep that up, Hillary better watch out.
Now when do I stopped getting flamed for supporting them. Democrats should be uniting while the Republican base is dividing over a non-national issue.

How misleading is this?
The new director of the political action committee for Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., recently paid a visit to New Hampshire, a state Democratic activist said.
He worked for Wesley Clark in, uh, New Hampshire, before heading up ACT on Ohio. Bouchard could easily have been visiting friends.

The definition of hypocracy. Tom Delay's picture is on the page in the dictionary. He's the living example of a hypocrite.

Will cheezeborgers play in Washington? They aren't kosher...but what about that pet goat that cursed the Cubs?

I feel like using a quote from The Empire Strikes Back here.
Evan Bayh (D) Was governor of red-state Indiana from mid-'80s to mid-'90s. Now in second term as low-profile senator. More aggressive than some in staffing up '08 run. Biggest impediment could be reputation as boring, uninspired campaigner.
He will become a president.

Ahnuld Schwarzenegger is preparing for battle...against any Wendy's that do not meet his satisfactory requirements. Groping accessories are not included. Materials sold seperately.

Leonard Watkins will fill Denise Bentley's seat. Mazel Tov.

David Tandy and Keith Allison are interested in the seat held by the late Councilman Willie Bright.

The Russ Salsman for Circuit Court Clerk Kickoff Party is on Friday, April 15, 2005, at 7:00pm and will be located at 2801 South Floyd Street. No relation to him at all.

Sunday, March 27, 2005

Will Shakespeare Shocker

I'll never look at Shakespeare the same again. He was paid by the government to write his plays to be performed before the Crown. Why is that not being paid attention to in the revealing of all these writers that are being outted by the bloggers as being paid by the government to write favorably. Shakespeare was paid by the crown and his reputation is not ruined. But seriously, I consider Neil Simon the greatest playwright of all time...okay, him and the late Arthur Miller. Still, Will Shakespeare was paid by the government and no one has brought him up throughout this whole ordeal.

The show is looking good. I just need more comedy writers!

SAVE AMERICAN DREAMS, WILL YA?!?

This was just sent to me from a group I belong to.
After the season finale airs this Wednesday night, we need to BOMBARD NBC with positive and pleading emails. PLEASE DO NOT EMAIL BEFORE THE END OF THE SHOW ON WEDNESDAY. What we want to accomplish is an obvious and cohesive show of support. Between Wednesday night March 30th at 9 pm, and Thursday March 31st at 5 pm, write to:

AmericanDreams@nbcuni.com In the Subject Line, you MUST write: "SAVE OUR SHOW."

Remember, do not email this address before the show airs on Wednesday.

I have not always been supportive of writing emails to this address in the past, because I did not know if it was being closely monitored. But I have definite confirmation that NBC will be watching this Wednesday and Thursday. Write to this email address only!

Everyone's subject line should be the same, but in the body of your email, say whatever you would like NBC to know. BE PASSIONATE. Tell them why the world needs American Dreams.

Also, pass this on to anyone and everyone. Mr. Prince is hoping for hundreds and hundreds of emails, but I know you guys... we can get THOUSANDS. We can do this! KEEP THE DREAM ALIVE!!!
If you can't do it for me, do it for all the fans of the show. I can't live without this show. It's the only current show that I know will play the music I grew up listening to. I like the oldies.

Jon Lovitz and his comedic return Part 2

From the Daily Trojan:
Lucky for us, Hollywood's famous Laugh Factory is hosting the former Saturday Night Live cast member every Wednesday night from now until June.

"Jon is trying to put together a very eclectic night," said opening act comedian Eric Falconer. And indeed, it is. Although Lovitz is an established comedic powerhouse, he is graciously willing to share the spotlight with the new generation.

The opening act is a duo of young guys, Chris Romano and Falconer, who Lovitz is very excited about featuring in his show.

"I think these guys are extremely funny," Lovitz said. "People are going to want to see them because when you look back 20 years from now; these are the guys who you're going to brag about and say, 'I saw them back when.'"

Lovitz is far too humble and generous with his praise, because he truly is the main attraction and the mob that fills the club every week only has eyes for him.

In person, Lovitz ("J.Lo" to his friends) insists he's just plain - plain hilarious! During the interview, he asked to be addressed as Sir Lord Lovitz because "I just recently heard that Ben Kingsley was working on a movie and made everybody call him 'Sir Ben.' Therefore I insist on being called 'Sir Lord Lovitz.'"[...]

During his routine, Lovitz jokes openly about his Jewish background, romantic mishaps and overall childish immaturity, which is his primary appeal.

"I find that the younger the person is, the more people get excited about Jon," Falconer said.

Assessing his own brand of humor, Lovitz said, "My humor's just silly really. It's like an eight-year-old with a little more knowledge."

Lovitz, Romano and Falconer freely said that their show, although fun for adults of all ages, is best appreciated by college students.

"College students are more aware of things than most people, so they get more out of this stuff. When you're younger, you're more passionate about understanding the world," Lovitz said.

Lovitz's stand-up routine definitely covers the gamut of social issues. There's something for everybody: bestiality, gay marriage, the presidential elections and the breakup of Brad and Jen are all given that particular Lovitz touch.

Toward the end of the show, Lovitz apologizes to his audience, saying, "if I didn't offend you, I'm truly sorry. Please don't feel left out."

And just when the show reaches that point where it seems things cannot possibly be any funnier, Lovitz sits down behind a keyboard and performs several musical numbers dedicated to the sexual orientation of his dear friend Bob Saget. No doubt about it, Lovitz's show proves that nothing is sacred, in the most delightful way.

If you're a Lovitz-lover or just want an all-around great night of comedy, head on down to the Laugh Factory on a Wednesday night and see Lovitz doing what he loves best. "I can say whatever I want, and I get to be funny in the way that I think I'm funny," he said. We think you're funny too, Sir Lord Lovitz.
Darn it! I need to see this guy live at least once! Listen, I'm a big SNL fan, and I don't care what you say, this guy is a comedic genius. He's a Jew from Pasadena, I'm a Jew from Louisville--we could be related. Well, I still need to perform there. I need out of Kentucky badly. Networking, like in politics, is a key to success in comedy, Mark Podijil tells me. Podijil comments that it's the "most democratic of the performing arts." As if Shakespeare was a Democrat anyway. I always though of old Will as a Republican being paid by the monarchy to write for them.

The Season is over...

With the loss today to Michigan State, the season has come to an end and depression has kicked in for the first time in over a year when we lost to Alabama-Birmingham.

I need to focus on the show and schoolwork for the next Month--and figuring out how I'll survive for Pesach without a car! I've been lucky finding comedy writers willing to write for no pay--at least, no pay for the time being.

Kentucky, Michigan State

Tip off in a few minutes. Rematch of a few years ago. We will win.

Patrick Sparks starts off with a tray. Rajon Rondo fouls twice early on in the game and he should be expected to stay on the bench for the half.

15:34 TV Time-out: Michigan State 10, UK 8

11:10 TV Time-out: Michigan State 15, UK 14

7:55 TV Time-out: Michigan State 23, UK 16

Sparks hits a second tray--WE WIN! Sparks with the assist to Sheray Thomas and it's all tied at 23! We went on an 11 point run for a bit.

3:22 TV Time-out: UK 27, Michigan State 27

Still no sign of Ashley Judd. Where can she be?!? What's that? Patrick Sparks is on fire! The state of Texas is good to Kentucky. Sparks hits another tray. He's made 4 so far!

53.8 Time-out: UK 37, Michigan State 33

5.4 Time-out: UK 37, Michigan State 33

HALFTIME UK 37, Michigan State 33

Rajon Rondo comes back and we should be able to finish Michigan State. We have to take care of MSU and then start worrying about UNC.

15:26 TV Time-out: UK 48, Michigan State 47

11:30 TV Time-out: Michigan State 53, UK 52

The Cats need to get their act together. This is not how a championship team plays. We haven't played in a final four since 1998. Let's go back there again.

7:43 Time-out: Michigan State 66, UK 58

7:04 TV Time-out: Michigan State 68, UK 60

3:46 Time-out: Michigan State 70, UK 66

We can win this...we did it in 1998, we can do it again!

2:41 Time-out: Michigan State 72, UK 66

Ravi Moss gives us some breathing but than Bradley fouls. Kelenna Azubuike with a tray! We're down by one.

50.9 Time-out: Michigan State 73, UK 72

27.1 Ramel Bradley gets hammered. I hope he feels better soon. Sparks shoots the free throw and misses in the one and one opportunity. State gets the ball back on a turnover.

26.0 Time-out: Michigan State 73, UK 72

16.7 Time-out: Michigan State 76, UK 72

We need a three or get the foul on a lay-up. We can do this. I know we can. I'm an optimist and I have the faith that we can do this.

12.6 Time-out: Michigan State 76, UK 72

Never before have three games gone to overtime. Will this year be a first? Holy crap! Yes, that's another Sparks tray and saves us from defeat! Even with all of the magnification of the play, we are headed to OT

END OF REGULATION: UK 75, Michigan State 75

Rajon Rondo! Kelenna Azubuike! Double-bonus the rest of the way. We cannot foul at all. Kelenna Azubuike picks up his third. Hayes not in yet.

2: 30 Time-out: UK 79, Michigan State 78

Azubuike picks up his fourth foul. Rondo slaps it off of State. We have the ball with 25.5 seconds to where we could have had the game. We now have a second overtime.

END OF OVERTIME #1--UK 81, Michigan State 81

Auzbuike fouls out. Morris draws a foul. The Cats need better possessions.

2:31 Time-out: Michigan State 84, UK 81

With less than two minutes to go, we're down. We can come back.

1:24 Time-out: Michigan State 88, UK 84

12.2 Time-out: Michigan State 90, UK 86

Too late to hurt myself?

7.5 Time-out: Michigan State 90, UK 88

7.1 Time-out: Michigan State 92, UK 88

Go for three and hope you get the shot and get fouled.

We will dominate next year and I thank Chuck Hayes for his years of service at Kentucky.

Is this crazy or what?

News on Steve Carell and Robin Williams?
Steve Carell, star of NBC's new comedy The Office, says having kids made his career soar. Thanks to daughter Annie, almost 4, and son John, 9 months, Carell, 41, says he got the Office lead; a part in Woody Allen's latest, Melinda and Melinda; Uncle Arthur in summer's Bewitched; and the title role in a big-screen Get Smart. "I didn't care anymore, except about making enough money to support a family," the Daily Show correspondent tells us. "It really improves the way you start auditioning." Carell, hilarious in movies like Anchorman, says he once considered law because "it sounded good on paper," but his folks told him to follow his heart.[...]

Robin Williams, 53, is many things-- actor, comedian, political activist -- but at the moment he's a proud father. Daughter Zelda, 15, makes her acting debut in House of D, a coming-of-age drama, written and directed by David Duchovny, expected in some theaters next month. "It's about a kid growing up in SoHo in the 1970s," says Williams, who stars, too. "Guys could talk to the women in the windows of the Women's House of Detention." He may not be objective, but his assessment of his daughter is sweet. "She's very natural in front of the camera," Williams says. "She is actually much further along than I was [at her age]." She also makes choices Dad approves of: "There was a chance to do another film, which would have messed up school, and she said, 'No, I'll continue school.'"
I, too, have considered law school. So did Bob Wiltfong. Jon Stewart's parents wanted him going to law school as well.

Seth Davis hates UK

Seth Davis can get a life. He pulled for Utah and now he is pulling for Michigan State. What the crap does he have against the Kentucky Wildcats?

Just because I can!

It's my blog but check out Ben Thornewill's solo music. He's a good friend of mine and politics runs in his family.

Will today mark the return of Kentucky to final four? You sure bet it will. I'd rather have us play Wisconsin than North Carolina.

Another Pleasant Valley Sunday...

Going to brunch here in a few, working on school work and then continue writing the show. Then it's basketball in the afternoon!!

Bayh making Page Six made the Indiana Star.
Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., isn't commenting on the veracity of the New York Post's claim that he's on probation at an exclusive suburban Washington country club after his wife, Susan, yelled at the staff too often.[...]

Bayh spokesman Dan Pfeiffer would not say whether the incident occurred.

Pfeiffer said in a statement, "Senator Bayh's stock must be rising if he is now a target of the New York gossip columns, but Hoosiers know Susan Bayh as a kind, compassionate woman who spent eight years waiting tables to put herself through college and law school."[...]
Stock Rising?!? You bet it is!

Who knew that Henry Clay was into breeding the type of horses running in the Kentucky Derby?
As adroit at farming and stock as he apparently was at diplomacy and politics, Clay founded Ashland Stud, a resoundingly important foundation of fine racehorses and broodmares that helped make the Bluegrass the horse capital of the world.

A history exhibition opening Friday at the Kentucky Horse Park's International Museum of the Horse presents "Kentucky Bloodlines: The Legacy of Henry Clay." It introduces another sort of legacy. That is the fame of Josephine Clay, daughter-in-law of the politician and, eventually, successful proprietress of Ashland Stud.

The exhibition is a valuable reminder that often history is filled more with what we don't know than what we do.

Josephine Clay, born in Missouri in 1835, married Clay's grandson, Eugene Erwin, who was killed at the Battle of Vicksburg during the Civil War. Later, she married Henry Clay's youngest son, John Morrison Clay.
Now you know the rest of the story...

Seems that making a show similar to The Daily Show is becoming a trend nationwide. Kentucky. Utah. Now, Michigan?
[Ann Fracker] said she doesn't want to leave Jackson, but she would like to be on TV -- either hosting a talk show or doing skits like those on The Daily Show.
Where di you get your baseball news from?
Forget ESPN's SportsCenter. Now you can get your baseball news on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and on Saturday Night Live.

This is what baseball has come to.

In the wake of congressional hearings on steroid use in baseball, SNL lampooned that panel of former and current players, particularly Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco.

Stewart couldn't resist sending a few barbs toward Bonds after Tuesday's blame-fest and pity party.
I get my news from...the paper and ESPN. Didn't think I'd get it from those other shows but can we get Barry Bonds' son in the picture.

CollegeHumor.com makes a lot of revenue.
Collegehumor.com, which has all of these things, is run out of a Manhattan apartment by a core group of five relatively recent college grads. One of them is former Bishop Luers student Zach Klein.

Web sites devoted to college humor that are run out of the apartments occupied by recent college grads are nothing unusual in the world, but this is no normal Web site devoted to college humor, and this is not your average apartment occupied by recent college grads, and these are not your typical college grads.

You would know that if you had read the profile of these gentlemen that ran in a January issue of the New Yorker.

In December 2004, revenues from the Web site were $405,000.

Eight million distinct readers visit the Web site every month and the apartment these guys occupy rents for $10,000 a month.[...]

Klein says he and his crew plan to steer Collegehumor.com in some of the same directions traversed by National Lampoon and The Onion.

They are working on a book for Dutton and recently met with “Saturday Night Live” creator Lorne Michaels to discuss film possibilities.

The folks back home are tickled about all this and Klein’s dad never fails to remind his son to enjoy it while it lasts.

"I call my dad and he always ends the conversation with, ‘Pinch yourself. You’re living the dream.’"
Sounds like a nice story. I need to visit that site more often than I have.

Okay, time to get down to business.

Interesting article from an Israeli

Enemy Ties

Natalie Portman is a mensch!
The Jerusalem hospital inundated over the past four years with Israeli victims of Palestinian bombings dedicated a new emergency care unit on Thursday, just as violence appeared to be winding down.

Doctors and nurses at Hadassah Hospital can now treat three times as many victims at a time with the new, US$50 million unit in operation.

Dr. Avi Rivkind, head of the hospital's trauma and surgery department regretted that although mortality rates have improved, not everyone can be saved.

"It's still mortality. Beyond these numbers are families, children, so many lives impacted," he said. "It's not enough."

The hospital is sponsored by the Hadassah Women's Zionist Organization of America, and a 700-member mission from the group is in Israel for the dedication.

At a gala cermony Thursday evening at the Jerusalem Theater, actress Natalie Portman, who was born at Hadassah Hospital, presented an award to Rivkind.

Portman, who won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar this year, told Rivkind, "A soldier who was brought critically injured to Hadassah looked up from the stretcher, saw you standing there, recognized you from TV and said simply, 'I fell into good hands.' That's how all of us feel."

Saturday, March 26, 2005

Daniel Mongiardo on the Daily Show?

During Indecision 2004, the Democratic Senator was featured on the fake news show titled The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. State Senator Daniel Mongiardo was mentioned during the results of the senate race. Now, I know for a fact that this blog was not active during the campaign so where did Jon Stewart and them get their info for that?!? I know it wasn't me.

I wonder if I can get George Clooney on the show...

Kentucky-North Carolina

Tom Sorensen: Kentucky has a North Carolina fan
Bobby Perry grew up in Durham, attending North Carolina's basketball camps. He's always liked the Tar Heels and will pull for them on Sunday against Wisconsin. If North Carolina wins and Perry's Kentucky Wildcats win, they'll play Saturday in a Final Four semifinal.

A 6-foot-6 reserve forward, Perry did little against the Tar Heels when the Wildcats played them in Chapel Hill in early December. His teammates didn't do much more. North Carolina handled Kentucky, 91-78.

The Tar Heels might have been the most talked about team in Austin on Saturday, even though they're in Syracuse and Kentucky and Michigan State are here. Almost all the talk had to do with the late travel call Friday night against Villanova's Allen Ray.
Kentucky will beat Michigan State and we will beat North Carolina or Wisconsin. We will win it again!

Late Saturday Night Roundup

Mazel Tov to Hadassah Lieberman. She has a new job.
She has previous public affairs experience at two drug manufacturers, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals and Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., and has worked for St. Raphael Hospital in New Haven and the American Committee for Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.

"Her career uniquely combines an intersection of pharmaceutical, public health, health policy, and political experience," Hill & Knowlton said in a statement.
I wish her the best of luck as she starts a new venture in her life.

The Independent reviews The Office. I'll start watching the show starting Tuesday.

You can count me in...

It's our land, why should we have to give it up.

I am reminded of page 209 of America (The Book) in which it deals with all those enemies of Eretz Yisrael, the Promised Land given to the Chosen People, despite years of much oppression--we still write very good humor and are talented comedians...and we have some politicians...

Some Steve Carell news

I have been informed via a Daily Show audience member that Steve Carell is most likely finished with The Daily Show. This was what I was informed of:
They said that this was most likely the last time he'll ever be on TDS. However, they filmed 3 segments of Produce Pete that night, which I'm sure will be on throughout the next couple of weeks, so you will get to see new Steve Carell stuff in the future. Also, since they spent a lot of time on the Produce Pete stuff, they had to use footage filmed on other nights on the March 23rd episode, hence Jon's tie change. Carell seemed really happy to come back and do some TDS segments and while the cameras were off he and Jon talked and Carell exclaimed that TDS was the best show on TV.
So be on the lookout!

Rick Pitino sets record with third team

Rick Pitino is now taking his third team to the final four. Sad to say but I was actually pulling for him and the Cardinals after Wake Forest ruined my bracket (I had Pitt losing to Tech in the sweet 16). This is a record and I offer Coach Pitino a hearty Mazel Tov. I wonder if I should book him for the show.

Rick Pitino's Final Four:
Providence - 1987
Kentucky - 1993 (Final Four), 1996 (Championship), 1997 (Runner-up)
Louisville - 2005

Elite Eight Final Scores
(4) Louisville 93, (7) West Virginia 85
(1) Illinois 90, (3) Arizona 89

Baron Hill for Congress 2006

The Courier Journal reports that Baron Hill is contemplating a return to his seat in Washington. I wish him the best and I hope he returns as an elected official once more.
Former U.S. Rep. Baron Hill said yesterday that he might form an exploratory committee in the next 30 days to raise money for a possible campaign next year to win his old job back.

Hill, a Democrat, represented Indiana's 9th District in the U.S. House from 1999 through 2004. He narrowly lost a bid for a fourth term to Republican Mike Sodrel last fall.

"I want to learn from this defeat," Hill said yesterday in a telephone interview from his home in Seymour. "I want to make lemonade out of the lemons that were dealt to me."

Over the next 30 days, Hill said, he will travel the district to speak with voters and learn more about the factors that influenced November's election.

He said key Democrats in Washington already have indicated they will support a possible campaign next year. He said he now wants to hear from voters as well.

While the exploratory committee would be able to raise money, Hill said a formal announcement on any candidacy probably wouldn't come until early next year.[...]

Amy Walter, an analyst for a non-partisan political newsletter in Washington called The Cook Political Report, said Sodrel is one of perhaps only two House Republicans facing races that are considered "tossups" in 2006.

His vulnerabilities include his freshman status, she said, along with the fact that last year's race was so close and Hill's name recognition and fund-raising potential.

In addition, the mid-term election during the second term of a sitting president typically has seen the opposition party gain seats in Congress.

Since the end of World War II, Walter said, the party of a second-term president has lost an average of 29 seats in the House and six seats in the Senate in those elections.

Sarah Feinberg, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said Hill's knowledge of the district makes him "a gold-standard candidate."

"We view Sodrel's seat as very vulnerable," Feinberg said, adding that financial support from the national party would be considered at a later date.

A spokesman for Sodrel declined to comment on Hill's possible candidacy.

Hill, meanwhile, said he wants to hear voters' opinions on issues such as same-sex marriage and the proposed introduction of voluntary private accounts to the Social Security system.

Hill described his chances of running as "50-50 right now," with public opinion a key part of his decision.

The 9th District stretches from just east of Evansville to the Cincinnati suburbs along the Ohio River.

Hill, 51, served in the Indiana General Assembly from 1983 to 1990 and also was a high school basketball star in Seymour.

Since February he has been working as a senior adviser for mCapitol Management, a Washington consulting firm. He said he enjoys the new position, but not as much as his former job.

"I'm pushing the ball upcourt," he said of his possible campaign. "My passion is Congress."
Go get 'em, Congressman Hill! Hill replaced Lee Hamilton in Congress.