Oy gevalt

I hate to interrupt my relaxing Labor Day weekend to jump on the computer, but this Sarah Palin choice as veep by McCain is seriously astounding.

That's an actual McCain campaign picture, by the way, not something doctored up.

Oh yeah, you want her a heartbeat away from being the most powerful person on Earth, with a 72-year-old cancer patient in the Oval Office, no less.

It seriously looks like an ad for a wacky Judd Apatow movie - "Dad and Grad" with Brian Dennehy as John McCain and Tina Fey as Sarah Palin.

Oy.

And just to be clear on the candidate who the GOP thinks American women are so stupid that they will desert the ideals the overwhelming majority believe in to vote for McCain-Palin because, you know, she has a vagina: Palin, a Christian fundamentalist, believes in banning ALL abortions. Even a pregnancy caused by rape and incest. Christ, even John Fucking McCain would allow those exceptions.

But in Sarah's world, gals, if you're a 14-year-old raped by a drunken uncle one night, you must suffer through a nine-month pregnancy and give birth to that fetus. Caused by your drunken uncle's rape. Wonderful.

That's the Republican party today.

Republican family values

Ha ha.

Wow!

What a great night for America. Unless, of course, you're a fatcat worried your taxes may go back up to those levels of the Clinton years, when the economy was, you know, so terrible.

Ba ba baaa babbaaa babaaa - hey!

When he was on The Tonight Show last night, John McCain was asked how many houses he and his fabulously wealthy wife own. As usual, he played the P.O.W. card.

"Could I just mention to you, Jay, that, at a moment of seriousness,” McCain began, “I spent five-and-a-half years in a prison cell. I didn't have a house. I didn't have a kitchen table. I didn't have a table. I didn't have a chair. And I didn't spend those five-and-a-half years because, not because I wanted to get a house when I got out."

You know, Gary Glitter spent several years in a Vietnamese prison too, and I'm not fucking voting for him for president either.

Wow - who saw this coming?

"After just eight weeks of marriage, Saturday Night Live alum Chris Kattan and his wife, model Sunshine Tutt, have split."

Oh yes, gals. He's available again.

But somehow Obama is the "elite" one

"McCain, who huddled with advisors at his desert compound in Sedona, Ariz., said nothing in public. A nine-car motorcade took him to a nearby Starbucks early in the morning, where he ordered a large cappuccino. McCain otherwise avoided reporters."

A nine-car motorcade to go to Starbucks.

Ok, I realize presidential candidates need to have security, but, jeez, why would you go to Starbucks knowing all the fuss it would cause.

Besides, he could have sent some of his butlers or maids, you know, the huge staff he has to maintain the eight - or is it nine? no-one really knows for sure - homes the McCains own.

Here's a delightful look at just one of them.

Two of the best...

For Friday cocktail lounge, how about some Frank and Ella, two of my favorites. Both were probably a little past their peak here, but they were still amazing. Much better singers than anyone I hear today.

A couple of years ago, I was in the NBC studios in Burbank where this was taped, and hearing the history of who recorded in this place was fascinating. It was home to so many amazing performances over the years, and it's soon to be abandoned by NBC when it moves to a bigger West Coast home.

Kudos You Tube, where these moments will live forever.

Ka-ching

I don't know who the beverage manager is at the Key Food on 2nd, but may I say, sir, I take my hat off to you.

They always have pretty good beer specials there, and this week there is a three-pack of Otter Creek microbrew beer, a sampling of IPA, Scottish Wheat and English Stout - 22 ounce bottles, no less - for $4.50.

And each pack comes with a one-pint beer mug!!!

I bought two packs today, and will have to go back and get some more.

Kudos, Key Food.

Ugh

I get grossed out if someone's chewing gum too loudly on the subway. I would not like to have seen this.

Can't see the forest....

More than 140 acres of rare oak trees on the Civil War site were getting in the way of historic vistas of the last Union assault at the second battle of Manassas. So the National Park Service cut them down.

Preserving Prince William's physical battlegrounds is no longer enough. Historians want to re-create historic battlefields so visitors can see the land the same way that those who fought in the Civil War would have seen it.
- Washington Post

Wonderful. Thousands of rare and beautiful trees, probably home to a lot of wildlife and bird's nests, are cut down so a bunch of drunken hillbillies can play dress-up soldier on the weekend and no doubt fantasize about the South winning the Civil War.

“With my freeze ray I will stop.. the pain”

I just watched “Dr. Horrible‘s Sing-Along Blog” on Fancast. This is the “web musical” from Joss Whedon, the guy behind “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” It’s pretty funny and has really cute music.

And who knew Doogie Houser, Neil Patrick Harris, had such a good voice. Check it out.

I get the same look when I hear Bush ramble on

This is pretty funny. "The Soup" has a clip of America Ferrera (of "Ugly Betty") and Blake Lively (of "Gossip Girl") on a talk show promoting their new movie, "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2." But when Blake starts blathering on about her TV show, the look of pure disdain on America's face is priceless, until she suddenly realizes the camera was on a two-shot.

Apparently 2003 was not part of the 21st Century

"In the 21st century, nations don’t invade other nations."

- John McCain, commenting on the Russian invasion of Georgia. Having a senior moment on the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

Pavlovian

Sometimes certain songs get intertwined with something and can't be separated from it. There is a heart-wrenching commercial for the Humane Society calling attention to abandoned and abused pets, many made homeless by Hurricane Katrina, and it uses Sarah Mclachlan's song "Angel." Well, I think it does, because, of course, whenever it comes on I have to lunge for the remote and change the channel - I can't watch that stuff.

But now that song makes me sad (of course, it's pretty haunting to begin with). I was in the Key Food yesterday and it came on the sound system. Oy.

I met Sarah once during my music business days. Very nice and totally in her character to allow her song to be used for animals that are hurting.

Damn you, Ch. 2

A live eviction ceremony tonight on "Big Brother" - except not here in NYC.

WCBS is airing BB at 2 am, when it will, of course, not be live, pre-empting the network in prime time to show a meaningless pre-season summer game of the Jets. Oy.

At least we have J-Lo's butt

It's funny the cultural touchstones that people from other countries have about the U.S.

Because while George W. has managed to ruin our image and reputation around the world, folks in other countries are still fascinated by us - mostly because of our pop cultural output, that Hollywood/NY media scene that the right-wingers, ironically, constantly decry as somehow un-American.

But that pop culture does more to enchant foreigners than Bush and his cronies could ever do.

I was on the phone with H-P today (I bought TWO new computers lately - oy, I don't even want to see my credit card bill next month) and was talking to a customer service rep who was clearly in India or Pakistan.

Although they make them use Anglicized names, it's easy to tell, so I was talking to "Grace" and, as she was taking my information and heard I was in New York, she said, "Oh, I love New York."

Me: "Well, it does have its moments."

Grace: "I saw a fabulous movie about New York."

Me: "Ahh, there are a lot of movies set here."

So I'm thinking she probably saw a real New York type of movie, maybe "The Devil Wears Prada" or "When Harry Met Sally" or "Tootsie," or just about any Woody Allen or, hell, "The Godfather."

Grace: "It was "Maid in Manhattan."

Me - (Pause.) "Oh, I never saw it."

Grace: "It was wonderful."

Oy.

Jennifer Lopez's butt is more popular than George Bush.

Then again, why shouldn't it be.

Ya gotta love the Jersey shore!

This is hilarious. My favorite line: "I dated this guy for three and a half years to come to find out that he was married to a Mexican!"