Geography Quiz

Don't worry, only one question:

Who can tell me what is wrong with this picture?


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This Cracks Me Up

Please watch this.



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Palin Out of Politics "For Good," or Maybe Not?

Damn. The current news is that she is out of politics for good and will not run for President in 2012, or any other office for that matter.

In a few weeks the Republican Party has lost three of its potential Republican candidates in 2012 - Palin, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford (affair), and Nevada Senator John Ensign (affair).

In a recent poll Palin had the highest nationwide approval ratings of all Republicans who were polled. This is definitely a loss if this is true.

Actually, I just read a different report that this isn't true...so what is in the future of Sarah Palin? Probably a lot more press coverage. She tried to bury this on a Friday before a national holiday, but I'm not sure it is doing her very much good.

My guess? We haven't heard the last of Palin in the realm of politics, but I don't think she will have another elected position anytime soon (I'm not saying she won't try, though).

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Late Night Funnymen

Why isn't there a single female late-night host? Let's take it one step further. Why isn't there a single non white late night host?

I'm going to skip the rant and just recap the poll.

David Letterman - 0%
No surprise here, Dave is popular among baby-boomers. And they don't read this blog.


Conan O'Brien - 20%
I love Conan's zany humor and legitimately interesting interviews. He's going to be huge once everything settles in.

Jay Leno - 0%
He's not funny and doesn't even have his own TV show again until the fall. Which I will never ever watch. Also, the man has a very large chin.

Jimmy Fallon - 0%
Fallon's humor is inconsistent, but Conan had the same problem at the start of his Late Night career. I only watch his show because of the house band - The Roots! Fallon has this grating style of always laughing at his own jokes.

Craig Ferguson - 0%
His Scottish accent cracks me up already. The man is very funny, but he never seems to have quality guests or skits. Hopefully he'll take over the Late Show once Letterman leaves and he'll take it to another level.

Jon Stewart - 40%
It's kind of cheating, since Stewart has the liberty of being on cable. He can get away with ripping deep into media and the government with boundary-pushing segments. Conan and Letterman are a bit more reserved, as they depend on advertising dollars for their shows to stay afloat. For the same reason, Stewart doesn't have to suck up to his guests and gets a lot more "intellectual" people on his show.


Stephen Colbert - 20%
Some people that Colbert has surpassed his creator (Stewart) in hilarity, but I just feel like they are perfect complements. Colbert is more wacky and inside-jokey while Stewart is the king of satire. Both are great.

Carson Daly - 0%
Carson Daly? The guy on TRL? Has his own show? Yes, it's called "Last Call with Carson Daly" and it is on after Jimmy Fallon on NBC. Don't ask me why. Don't ask me who watches the show. I don't think anybody does.

Jimmy Kimmel - 0%
"Man-Show" castoff Jimmy Kimmel has found an audience somehow. Again, I don't think he's funny and I don't know a single person who watches his show. I almost even forgot to put him on the list.

Talk Show Hosts are the Devil - 20%
At least somebody was honest.

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Sarah Palin to Resign as AK Governor - My Analysis

Woah. I did not see this coming. I was pretty sure she wouldn't run for re-election as Alaska's Governor in 2010 due to her apparent national ambitions, but resigning? That is a little unheard of. Mike Huckabee (Arkansas) and Mitt Romney (Mass.) were both governors who decided against running for a second term, and both ended up running for President later. Current Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty recently decided against running for a third term, and I believe that is to run for President in 2012 as well. However, nobody has resigned to do it before that I know of.

I read Mark Halperin's blog everyday, even though I think his analysis is awful. However, I think he put together a decent list today. Mark Halperin's Ten Reasons why Palin isn't Seeking Re-election:

1. Her political standing has slipped enough that she could lose if she tried to retain her current office.

2. Her political standing has slipped enough that even if she won, she would likely be bloodied in the race, maybe even in a primary.

3. Even more ethics complaints (many frivolous) would be filed against her.

4. She's got a book to write.

5. She's got a special needs baby to raise.

6. It is logistically impossible to run for president as the sitting governor of Alaska -- because of flight times. (Not hard: *impossible*)

7. She can't truly explore her money-making potential as an incumbent governor.

8. She can't truly explore her media potential as an incumbent governor.

9. The legislature has turned so much against her that the job isn't much fun any more.

10. If she wants to be the Republican Party's presidential nominee in 2012, she needs to spend more time raising money, establishing her international and national expertise, and traveling the Lower 48. And she needs to start now.

My initial reaction was...maybe she isn't running for President. Resigning halfway through your first term as Governor doesn't seem like a good thing to do before making a bid for the Presidency, but it makes some sense. Palin's biggest problem is her lack of national and international experience. I think everyone can remember her apparent ability to see Russia from her house. By resigning at the end of the month she is freeing herself up more to try and build up her "creds."

I watched Palin's press conference. She definitely sounded like someone who is looking to run for President. She made countless references to what is best for both the state of Alaska and the nation as a whole.

Another thought I had was that Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney are both practically campaigning already. They don't hold any office currently and are in the news all the time. Palin has only been in the news recently fighting with David Letterman.

For those who were wondering, at the end of the month when Palin leaves office her Lt. Governor Sean Parnell (Republican) will be sworn in as Governor. I know very little about him other than he tried to beat Don Young in a Republican primary for Alaska's sole representative in Congress, but he lost, even though Young was being investigated at the time. To his credit, the Democrat surprisingly lost as well in November, so Young seems to be pretty good at surviving.

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This Makes Me Sick

And makes me want to cry:



What the hell? You want increased national security by having a major terrorist attack within the country? You want increased security for Americans by having Americans killed?

As Jon Stewart said,

"Is there any way you can YELL LOUD ENOUGH at your TV for the people inside to hear you, because I tried real hard last night."

Of course this was on Fox News.


Nobody else would let the guy on.

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Do Republicans Have the Moral High Ground?

There tends to be a conception that the Republican Party is the party of values. Is this true? Here to help solve the riddle is senior political analyst and friend of the blog, Stephen Colbert!

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No. This is not true. There are countless more examples of valueless Republicans (Limbaugh, Ted "Tube" Stevens, Ensign, etc.).

How about the Democrats? Nope, not true either. They have their own bad guys. Clinton, John Edwards, Spitzer, Rod Frickin' Blagojevich, William Jefferson.

Conclusion: They are all politicians. Adultery, Prostitution, Corruption, Oh My!

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Rush Limbaugh Quote of the Day 7/2 - Al Franken/Iran/November 08

Rush:

"Look at this. From Iran's press television, the state-run media in Iran: Ahmadinejad gains votes in recount, just like in our country! It had -- just like in our country. Norm Coleman wins in Minnesota in a recount, and they keep having recounts, and Al Franken wins. So they had the recount in Iran, and shazzam! Ahmadinejad gained votes!"

And shazzam! Add Minnesota to the axis of evil folks. Damn that Al Frankenidad and Ayatollah Pawlenty.

Al Franken will make an interesting Senator. No, I don't think there was any wrong-doing in the Minnesota election. Yes, I do think there was mass voter fraud in Iran. Why? Maybe because 50 or so cities had more votes cast than eligible voters. That is a start. Did Ahmadinejad actually lose? No idea. Will he be removed from office? No.

Franken's win finally concludes the last of the November 2008 elections. The day before the elections, November 3rd, I made predictions for each state in the Presidential race, each Senate race, each Governor's race, and each House race. My results?

President: I predicted Obama would win 375 electoral votes to McCain's 163. Actual Result: Obama - 365, McCain - 173. I miscalled Missouri and one of Nebraska's congressional districts.

Senate: I predicted all 35 races correctly.

Governor: I predicted all 11 races correctly.

House: I predicted 421 of 435 races correctly.

Overall? I did pretty damn good. I may need to find a way to bet money next election day.

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July Movie Preview Part 1

July is here, with promises of salvation after a (mostly) underwhelming summer of movies thus far. Aside from "Star Trek" and "Up", no movie has been truly great. But Depp vs. Bale is sure to turn heads come Oscar season and Sacha Baron Cohen makes his triumphant return. Harry Potter reaches his penultimate chapter and Judd Apatow has finally directed another movie. Oh, and there's this little indie movie I'm kind of excited about.

Here's Part 1.

The Over-Hyped Movie?:
Public Enemies, July 1


Note the question mark! I'm not saying that it's going to be bad. Let's just not too excited yet. Sure, it has the makings of a classic. Johnny Depp, as legendary gangster John Dillinger, and Christian Bale, his police pursuer Melvin Purvis, are undoubtedly two of the finest actors of our generation. The cast is rounded out by several underrated supporting players, with Billy Crudup (sans the blue wang) as FBI honcho J. Edgar Hoover, Stephen Graham (Tommy in "Snatch") as Baby Face Nelson, and David Wenham (Faramir!) as another member of Dillinger's gang. Ladies get a strong push, missing from most Michael Mann movies, with the addition of Oscar winner Marion Cotillard as Dillinger's girlfriend. And of course, cat-and-mouse movies are always fun to watch, especially with suave antiheroes.

So what am I worried about? Hype. Hype is a bad thing. Maybe the worst of things. And it needs to die. I'm guilty of this on several occasions. "Benjamin Button" is a good example. A great director (David Fincher), superb actor (Brad Pitt), and smart story was, by my expectations, supposed to lead to an incredible film. It turned out to be just a good film. The moral of the story is don't hype dramatic movies surrounded with great talent (comedies and action flicks are exceptions). No matter how awesome "Public Enemies" it is, it will be hard to live up to your expectations. Still, watch and enjoy. Long black trenchcoats and giant tommy guns are always cool.

Box Office Prediction: $120 million (because it's rated R)


Guaranteed Comedic Gold:
Bruno, July 10



This one's pretty obvious. "Borat" was a phenomenon in 2006, and deservedly so. It was risky, hilarious, and took comedy to unprecedented levels (remember the naked fight?) Now that the formula is proven, "Bruno"'s quality is pretty set in stone. Instead of ambushing civilians as a Kazakhi journalist, Sacha Baron Cohen will now adopt the guise of a gay Austrian fashion reporter.

It's surprising that even after the worldwide success of "Borat", he was still able to dupe enough people to make a feature-length film. It's exciting, as this is likely to be Baron Cohen's last film in this manner. He has already retired two of the characters from "Da Ali G Show", Ali G and Borat. The third, Bruno, will probably follow the same path after his movie is released.

Even if you disliked "Borat", give "Bruno" a chance. The man put his safety on the line and reportedly got arrested several times in order for this movie to work. Expect lots of nudity and stomach-splitting laughter. For a taste, here's one of Bruno's best sketches from season 2 of "Da Ali G Show."



Box Office Prediction: $120 million (less than "Borat" since homosexuality is more uncomfortable than racism)

The Promising Adaptation
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, July 15

I've always been indifferent towards the Harry Potter movies. There's something inherently dull about watching a movie for the first time when you know exactly what's going to happen. I still watched them all in theaters and they were all pretty "meh" until the big Dumbledore-Voldemort duel at the end of "Order of the Phoenix". That's when Harry Potter movies took the next step, transforming a ho-hum battle within the pages to a tremendous brawl that transfixed the audience.

Judging from the trailer, "Half Blood Prince" is going to continue this process. Instead of blindly restricting themselves to the pages of the novel, the filmmakers are going to take mild liberties in order to create their own spin of the story. As countless literary adaptations have proved, what works in a book doesn't always work in the movies.



Exhibit A: 1:54 in the trailer, where a bridge in London is dismantled by Death Eaters. Don't remember that in the book. But it looks outstanding, and will contribute to the dark tone and faster, action-oriented pace of the movie.

Other additions include the attack on the Burrow (correct me if I'm wrong) and a larger role for that terrifying Werewolf guy who appears to destroy Diagon Alley. The cinematography looks first class, too. I'm getting goosebumps.


Hopefully the Harry/Ginny and Ron/Hermione snogging, the worst parts of the book, will be kept to a minimum.

And yay. Quidditch is back. It's about time.

Box Office Prediction: $310 million (two years since the last movie and the last book. People need their Potter fix)

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Rush Limbaugh Quote of the Day 7/1 - RIP Michael Jackson

Why does everything have to be political for Rush?

"[Michael Jackson] reached a level of success that may never be equaled. He flourished under Reagan, he languished under Clinton/Bush, and died under Obama. Let's hope the parallel does not continue."

Talk about trying to take any bit of news and spin it for your own gain. However, this does give me an opportunity to say goodbye to Michael. He had a screwed up life, but he was one hell of a musician. I especially love his work as part of the Jackson 5. Here is their hit song "I Want You Back."



Here is "ABC." Seriously, the kid was incredible.



And of course, let us not forget his dancing. Here is an excerpt from my favorite Michael Jackson solo song, "Billie Jean."



You stay classy and have a happy July.

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