Aaron Sorkin’s new show — Studio 60 at Sunset Strip — debuted last night on NBC. Sorkin is, in my humble estimation, a writing god. His previous two television shows — Sports Night and The West Wing — are among my top 3 favorite shows of all time. Like his previous ventures, Sorkin works with director Thomas Schlamme in Studio … Read More
What Singer Is Most Often Quoted In Judicial Legal Opinions?
Inquiring minds want to know. The answer? Dylan, by a mile. He’s also the favorite in scholarly legal journals. Artist Number of Citations in Legal Journals Number of Citations in Judicial Opinions Total 1. Bob Dylan 160 26 186 2. The Beatles 71 3 74 3. Bruce Springsteen 64 5 69 4. Paul Simon 51 8 59 5. Woody Guthrie … Read More
The Gay Scare Of 1957
For many of my friends, I point to this good article in the local paper looking back on 50 years ago, just down the road. On Feb. 4, 1957, a Guilford County grand jury emerged from its closed session and issued a bundle of indictments of a scope unlike any before or since — against 32 men accused of being … Read More
IRS Hassling Pastor For Giving Anti-War Sermon
The War on Christianisty indeed: This is just unbelievable. The IRS is suddenly ramping up its investigation of whether All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena violated its tax-exempt status with an anti-war sermon just before the 2004 elections. On Friday an IRS investigator served a summons on the current rector, Rev. Ed Bacon, ordering the church to turn over all … Read More
Fall Broadway Preview
MSNBC has a nice-roundup, which I now rip-off: Here are our choices for the best bets: Heartbreak HouseThe Roundabout Theatre Company is known for mounting strong shows for discerning theatergoers, so this flashback from Theatre Studies 101 may turn out very well. Swoosie Kurtz stars in this adaptation of the George Bernard Shaw classic about love, war and disappointment. Note: … Read More
“What’s God Like?” And Other Things
There’s a lot of interesting stuff in the recently released Baylor Religious Survey. This is supposedly the most extensive survey of religious attitudes in America. Specifically, the data examines such questions as: • Just how religious is America?• Do religious Americans favor any political party?• How do religious Americans feel about the Iraq war?• How does religious belief affect spending … Read More
Okay, I Can Roll With This
Changes made to Monopoly: tokens miniature versions of a Toyota Prius hybrid car, an order of McDonald’s French fries, a New Balance running shoe, a cup of Starbucks coffee or a Motorola Razr cellphone Properties no longer based on Atlantic City streets; they now include real estate from Boston and Washington to Las Vegas and Hollywood The four railroads supplanted … Read More
New Rules
Rule #1: Babies born unto celebrities are not themselves celebrities. Rule #2: It is not "news" when a celebrity gives birth to a new baby. This is a normal occurance that happens everyday to hundreds of thousands of ordinary couples. The fact that it happened to someone who (arguably) sings does not make it "newsworthy". Rule #3: Britney Spears and … Read More
Nathan Tabor on “Plan B”: Wrong Again
Nathan says: Planned Parenthood and other members of the abortion industry want to change the definition of pregnancy, claiming that pregnancy begins with implantation of a fertilized egg, rather than at fertilization — the point when the egg and the sperm unite. By altering the definition of pregnancy, Planned Parenthood officials can claim with a straight face that the morning-after … Read More
My WTC Stories
[NOTE: John Dennis Levi Tribute here] Every New Yorker has a WTC connection. During my ten years in New York, I had many. My first encounter with the towers was actually in 1976. I was a teenager living in New Hampshire, but our family was visiting my uncle (who lived an hour upstate from NYC) so we could watch the … Read More
Anti-Gay Rove Loves His Gay Dead Dad
One of the arguments against gay marriage — and by extension, adoption of children by gay parents — is that it supposedly screws up the kids. That’s what the "pro-family" tightwads say, although they have no research to back up that claim. On the other hand, there is one good case study about the effect of gay parents on kids, … Read More
Write Your Own Punchline
Here’s the set-up: ‘Idol’ singer Clay Aiken may serve Bush Clay Aiken is in line to be named to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities, the White House said Wednesday.
Best. Show. Title. Ever.
Help! Help! I Know This Title is Long, But Somebody’s Trying to Kill Me It’s a show about a vaudevillian who stays true to the adage "the show must go on". In his case, he tries to make the show go on …even though his castmates are being killed off.
Best Movie Musical Ever
A jury of 500 artists, critics, performers, etc. at the American Film Institute has voted "Singing In the Rain" the best movie musical ever: The other top 10 musicals, in descending order, were: West Side Story, The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music, Cabaret, Mary Poppins, A Star Is Born, My Fair Lady, An American in Paris and Meet … Read More
Haute Cuisine
Deep Fried Coca-Cola? Vendor Abel Gonzales Jr. has come up with a new artery-clogging concoction for the State Fair of Texas. It’s fried Coke. Gonzales deep-fries Coca-Cola-flavored batter. He then drizzles Coke fountain syrup on it. The fried Coke is topped with whipped cream, cinnamon sugar and a cherry. Gonzales said the fried Coke came about just from thinking aloud. … Read More