A comfy corner of a good friend’s couch, the other party guests are long gone but a few of you are lingering with vodka tonics and party snacks, dishing gossip, telling old stories and laughing your arses off. That’s exactly the atmosphere of Anything Goes, John Barrowman’s autobiography.

Dr. Who fans will recognize John from his role as Captain Jack Harkness, and from the spinoff series, Torchwood, which I adore.  He is also a star of musical theater in the US and UK (there are too many shows to name here – check out the list on his website). So even though he’s still a young man (just about a year younger than yours truly, so obviously a young man), he’s got a lot of material to work with. [Read more →]

Tags: books & writing, Lisa Reads by Lisa Hura
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I recently posted on my blog a quote from William Lyon Phelps:

The happiest people are those who think the most interesting thoughts. Those who decide to use leisure as a means of mental development, who love good music, good books, good pictures, good company, good conversation, are the happiest people in the world. And they are not only happy in themselves, they are the cause of happiness in others.

Bill Peschel sent along in response a quote from Dorothy Parker: [Read more →]

Tags: that's what he said, by Frank Wilson by Frank Wilson
7 Comments »

The headline of the Reuters article “Countries re-think swine flu vaccine orders”, by Maggie Fox, doesn’t leave much to the imagination.  As the much-hyped disease fades into memory, dropping out of the public’s awareness, people have finally been able to take stock, to put numbers to things, and they’re finding that the drug companies are sittin’ fat.

[Read more →]

Tags: health & medical, politics & government by Mike McGowan
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She’s stopped playing Peeping Tom with Russia, she’s sold millions of dollars worth of books, she has electrified a large segment of the population, but the GOP’s official cheerleader has decided it’s time to step her game up.

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Tags: politics & government, television by Mike McGowan
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The holidays are over. We’re 11 days into frigid January. Spring is 68 days away. What do we have to look forward to? TV winter premieres, that’s what (hey, it’s something). Now the real truth is that we’re going to have to wait many months for some of our faves to come back (Glee for instance, returns in April), but some have already returned (Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters, Modern Family, Cougar Town), there are some new goodies on their way now and some of our go-tos return this week. Here’s what to watch for this winter season: [Read more →]

Tags: Lauren Likes TV, television by Lauren LaBumbard
4 Comments »

The Eagles have everything a team needs to make a serious run at the Super Bowl. And, in my humble opinion, this is the first time they’ve gotten all the pieces to the puzzle in the box. We have plenty of receivers who can catch the ball. We have three running backs that can and do contribute. We have a defense (when it’s healthy) that plays like an offense. Great! But in sports as in art the whole must be greater than the sum of its parts. And on any given Sunday a Philly fan is lucky if the Eagles can even equal the sum.

[Read more →]

Tags: sports by Steve Mazzeo
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In 2003, the NFL instituted a policy called the Rooney Rule, that would require teams to interview minority candidates before hiring a new coach or senior front office person. On the face of it, this would seem like a good rule, at least in its intent. The percentage of minority head coaches in the NFL has increased in the years since 2003. This weekend, though, I started to question not the rule itself, but the interpretation of the rule by some teams. [Read more →]

Tags: bad sports, good sports by Alan Spoll
1 Comment »

10. Your co-workers have posted the video of your office Christmas party meltdown on YouTube

9. You’re the Balloon Boy’s dad

8. Your company is transferring you to its office in Kabul

7. For the Rose Bowl, you put your life’s savings on Oregon

6. Airport security thought your colostomy bag was an explosive device

5. All you got for Christmas was new underwear…Well, new to you!

4. For Christmas, your wife gave you a vasectomy gift card

3. You began the year in the emergency room having a champagne cork removed from your ass

2. Your first name is ‘Tiger’

1. You just woke up from your New Year’s Eve party
 

Bob Sullivan’s Top Ten Everything appears every Monday.

Tags: Bob Sullivan's top ten everything, drugs & alcohol by Bob Sullivan
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Due to a tear in the time-space continuum, the following, which appears to be a wish list for a New Hollywood Squares pilot episode for Fall 2030, found its way into my email box. Sender: The Future.

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Tags: art & entertainment, television by Joshua Goldowsky
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From Fox News:

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele on Sunday called on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for describing Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign as “light-skinned” with “no Negro dialect” unless he wants to have one.

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Tags: politics & government by Mike McGowan
16 Comments »

I read Bob Herbert’s Op-Ed “Invitation to Disaster” on the New York Times website yesterday.  I had problems when reading it; I found that I couldn’t get as excited about the topic as Mr. Herbert.  I mainly feel a sense, not of desperation and an urge to fight back as he does, but one of resignation to the futility of fighting the problem.  The People can vote themselves money, and are engaged in said activity with a vengeance.

[Read more →]

Tags: money, politics & government by Mike McGowan
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Dramatis Personae
Barack Obama, President of the United States
Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader

REID: Mr. President, I want to sincerely apologize for that “Negro dialect” remark of mine.

OBAMA: Apology accepted.

REID: I certainly never would’ve said it if I knew it would one day be published. [Read more →]

Tags: politics & government by Colin Cohen
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Hey you. Want to watch a spec ad about killing yourself?

Sure you do.

[Read more →]

Tags: environment & nature, trusted media & news by Neil Verma
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Here in Arkansas we’ve had 3 inches of snow on the ground for the last week and temperatures have dipped below zero with the wind chill.  Having lived on the shores of Lake Superior for ten years, I haven’t really been paying too much attention to it, but I saw something the other day that really drove home how cold it is in these parts:

I saw a known Democrat walking around with his hands in his own pockets for a change.  Brrrr.

Tags: politics & government by Mike McGowan
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Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the would-be-bomber of an American airplane on Christmas Day, is being treated like he held up a candy store. As Charles Krauthammer said so well in his recent column, this is nuts!

[Read more →]

Tags: on the law, terror & war by Paul Davis
2 Comments »

Avatar is a movie everyone should see and no one should think about ever again. By “see”, I mean “watch in 3D on the biggest movie screen you can find.” (Avatar is the anti-Godfather, which demands to be viewed whenever you stumble upon it flipping channels no matter how many times you’ve seen it or how crappy your TV is.) And by “think about”, I mean “do not consider any non-visual aspect of the film.” Just remember there were blue things, they were cool, and that is all. [Read more →]

Tags: movies by Sean Cunningham
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Since the beginning I have claimed to be a Family Guy fan. And I suppose I still am. It’s fun to watch a show push boundaries and earn a fan base purely on cut-a-way gags. But, I was watching Family Guy in syndication and realized the following: I’ve never really liked this show; left to my own devices I’d never watch it; but I love being someone who watches Family Guy when I’m around other people. Yes, I realize this is fucked up. [Read more →]

Tags: fan boy says, movies, television by Steve Mazzeo
1 Comment »

In the chart below, I’ve plotted IHE (Ishares Dow Jones Pharmaceuticals ETF), IHF (Ishares Health Care Providers), and IHI (Ishares Medical Devices), with SPY (S&P depository trust) included for comparison purposes. I’ve also included vertical lines marking various landmarks in the road to healthcare reform (left to right): May 11, healthcare industry players meet with Obama; June 8, Senate HELP committee releases initial draft bill; June 23, Obama presser on healthcare; July 22, Obama prime time presser on healthcare; July 31, Congress recesses to go home and get yelled at by constituents; November 19, Reid unveils bill in Senate; December 24, Senate passes healthcare bill. [Read more →]

Tags: health & medical, money, politics & government by Dooley Womack
5 Comments »

Dramatis Personae
Barack Obama, President of the United States
Dick Cheney, Former Vice-President of the United States

OBAMA: Dick, you’ve been really tough on me of late.

CHENEY: Oh, that’s just politics, as Tip O’Neill told Reagan. It’s nothing personal — I just have to throw some red meat at the yahoos now and then. [Read more →]

Tags: politics & government by Colin Cohen
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You probably should wait till the kids go to bed or make sure your boss is out at lunch before you play this. But, whatever you do, make sure to play it — and play it with an open mind. Talent comes in mysterious forms and I expect you will ask the same question I asked myself, “How on earth does someone figure out they can do this?” And then answer your own question with “I’d rather not know!”

Hat Tip to The Frisky

Tags: ends & odd, music by Amy Boshnack
14 Comments »