I am out the door for the weekend, but since a conversation this morning about memorable baseball plays, I've got Izzy Alcantara's minor league performance from circa 2002 or so on the brain:

Hope your weekend is a real kick!!!

To quote Emmitt Smith "Oh... it's bad".

Such it is bad when people from other states e-mail me asking about the recent debate on the lifting of the ban on dancing in Des Moines.

Now, most of you thought that ruling went out when Kevin Bacon, Chris Penn, and friends took to the streets in '84; but sure enough, it's on the books.

To be fair, the ban on dancing here is only from 2am-6am, but sure enough, it's true. 

Come to think of it, I don't think I ever had the urge to dance that late.  It is possible that I may have danced up until that time, but 1) I'm an old geezer and 2) if you want to hang out past 2 here, you pretty much have to leave the city limits to do it.

Anyway, we don't need that kind of publicity.  Everybody thinks that there's a bunch of prudish squares here.

We have important things to take care of, like voting on whether we should have a butter sculpture of Jacko or not.  Also, removing fridges from in front of the courthouse.

I write book reviews here.  You would think that I would have given up by now, but there's two people that read them, so I continue on.

With Al Franken going to the Senate, I thought I would take time to recognize him here.

I haven't read all of Franken's books, but I thought I would review the part of the oeuvre I have read.

Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot (and other observations) -  This book was where Franken went from a guy only hardcore SNL fans knew to one of the big liberal villains of the day.  It is also one of my favorite books ever (garbagecanmusic   tipped me off, I remember).

As the title implies, we get silly left-leaning observations that may be closer to Howard Stern to PJ O'Rourke.  There is Franken having fun goofing on Limbaugh's fact checker.  Franken conducting Lexis/Nexis searches like Pat Roberson AND crazy.  There is Franken revealing Republican talking points (as well as 'Rush Limbaugh is fat' talking points), GOP err.. fan fiction (in which Newt Gingrich and Pat Buchanan knife each other), and a consideration about whether making jokes about Bob Packwood and his sexual misconduct problem as being fair or unfair.

As I said before, I absolutely loved this book.  The only real problem now it is over 10 years old, and the Packwood and Phil Gramm jokes probably won't hold up for people who weren't there at the time.

Why not me?  (The inside story of the making and unmaking of the Franken presidency) -  By 1999, Franken was beginning to work his way up as a political satirist of note.  For his follow-up to Rush, his next book was a comedic re-imagining of those Theodore White Making of the President books.  Franken beats Al Gore in the primary (by a campaign of fighting ATM fees), and then gets elected.  Once elected, he is forced to resign due to strange behaviour and the publishing of his campaign diaries.

Why has got a lot of good reviews on Amazon, so I could be in the wrong here.  Still, I wasn't a big fan of this book.  It had funny parts, but more smirk-funny as opposed to laugh-out-loud bellylaughs.  The campaign takes up 755 of the book, and is the least funny thing about it.

Even as a Franken fan, I say 'skip it', though all of those reviewers at Amazon say otherwise.

The Truth (with Jokes) -   I never read the charmingly titled Lies and the Lying Liars who tell Them, but Franken has made the move from telling political one-liners and gags to becoming a serious commentator.  The Truth is way too partisan to appeal to anyone outside the ideology, but like similar books from both sides of the aisles, it will be very readable to those who agree with him.

For those who likes Franken radio shows, the book treads the same line- funny, but it's intent is to argue GOP talking points and offers a real criticism of the past administration.

Franken does his research here, and as much as the book is a comedy, Franken was (it now appears) plotting what would be the ideas that would put him in the Senate.

If politics isn't your thing, then you might skip this one.  If you are a liberal and are a fan of people like Franken or Olbermann,  and like someone who goes on the attack for your side of things and is looking to take the Right to task, I think you will like this book.

Like many men (and some women) I spent Saturday as a "Guys night out" watching UFC100.

It is a credit to the promotional genius of Dana White that the day before the baseball all-star game, the UFC grabbed a big chunk of the sports headlines.  The All-star game, home run derby, the release of college football betting lines, NASCAR, baseball free agent talks, NBA trades, and two bizarre sports murders, and everyone is talking UFC.

Credit to White for bringing in ex-WWE superstar (and a beast of a man) Brock Lesnar.  Though relatively new to the sport, Lesnar was an amateur wrestler and has already started to plow through the competition.

Lesnar is the best thing that could happen to a sport that was doing well anyway.  He is a love-him-or-hate-him character who learned how to be a heel in the WWE.  His post-fight interview was maybe the greatest heel speech not given in a wrestling ring.  It was right out of the Stone Cold Steve Austin/ Stan Hansen playbook.  Mind, most post-fight interviews in the UFC are respectful and civil.

White was making the media rounds today acting pissed, but I don't believe a word of it.  He secretly has to love that people can't quit talking about Lesnar and Saturday night.

White is a genius.  I don't know that UFC will ever pass the Big 4 sports, but White really took a dying idea and made it a mainstream, profitable business.

I remember the early years of UFC starting in 1993.  I was in high school, and I can remember going to the video store and renting the VHS tapes.  This was before YouTube, justin.tv, and even pay per view cable wasn't really part of life.

UFC had a reputation as just being "human cockfighting", and I remember the tapes having this certain aura to them, sitting on the shelf near the Faces of Death videos, its image as being the most extreme action caught to tape.  (I never was interested in FoD, but there was something voyeuristic about UFC).  With UFC, you could see if a boxer could take on a karate expert, a wrestler could beat a kickboxer,  a sumo vs a streetfighter etc.

White, when he took over took all that was wrong with UFC (now, there are weight classes like boxing, there is a definitive style that has emerged, and the matches are generally called the very second there looks like a participant is in danger.)  UFC is still probably not for everyone, but White has made it a very marketable, watchable product.

I started watching UFC again in the fall of 2004 at UFC50.  It was very easy to get into, and I haven't missed too many of the events since then.  White did an excellent job with his programming.  Matches started with interviews and profiles, so you got to know the competitors.  There were some stars who had a certain charisma- Tito Ortiz, Chuck Lidell, George St-Pierre, BJ Penn, Matt Hughes- and quickly, I learned a lot and really got to appreciate the sport.

I did have friends who were dedicated fans, but it was pretty quick to get to know everyone, and the action was always good.  UFC also does what boxing doesn't do anymore.  They put together cards that show five or six good fights, and occasionally will offer the same on free tv through their association with Spike TV.

I think the UFC has a long future, and it's something I really enjoy watching.

In case you haven't heard - Gwar's lead singer Oderus Urungus has got a job as a correspondent on Fox News Channel.

That link is worth clicking for the video alone.

After working with Sleazy P. Martini, I suspect Oderus won't have any problem being co-workers with Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly. 

It's been a good year for Mr. Urungus, who earlier in the year won a Loser Leaves Earth match against wrestling journeyman Tracy Smothers.

Besides, on a network that regularly shows Beck, O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Ann Coulter, and this guy, Oderus runs the risk of not being the most outspoken person on the channel.

"You know, you humans, you aint a bad lot, really. Unless... you know your place, and that place is, digging your own grave, with a britch of your nose, with my d**k up your butt thank you very much! " could be a quote from any of the commentators above, really.

Sadly, Oderus isn't there for commentary, but for the Red Eye show, which is an overnight show more there for pop culture and fluff as opposed to the usual daytime programming of GOP talking points and Obama-bashing.

Still, on a channel in where Glenn Beck hides his far-right agenda behind quotes by Thomas Paine and the other founding fathers, and gives Karl Rove and Dick Morris face time advertised as unbiased pundits; it's nice to know that Oderus will shoot the audience straight.

If you're like me there's one question that keeps me up at night.  Over the last two weeks, I just can't shake my mind off of it.

You probably have the same one.

Where did all the Billy Mays ads go?

In a blink of an eye, they were gone.

I wouldn't have thought twice if Mays wasn't so ubiquitous.  You couldn't turn on a television for ten minutes without seeing him (especially if you were an insomniac).  His absence was noticeable.  Unlike a mascot or most celebrity endorsers, Mays didn't just pitch one product, he sold dozens- cleaning supplies, repair kits, auto accessories, and much more.

All of a sudden, no Billy.  The void filled with even more Shamwow, Cash4gold, Video professor and Rosetta Stone ads - none with the charm of Mays..

Now, I had seen cigarette ads removed from magazines and I remember when St Louis removed tobacco products from billboards (Don't worry, casinos and bars picked up the slack).  I also saw how quickly you can pull products from your shelves, like Michael Vick jerseys.

So, I shouldn't have been that shocked, I guess.  still, in those cases, there was a legislative push or a scandal that forced the reaction.  Mays wasn't disgraced, he was just dead.

Now, it would appear unseemly to bring back Karl Malden's American Express ads (and ads that resurrected Orville Redenbacher and Col. Sanders have had less than positive responses), but Mays was a pitchman like no other.

So if it was good enough for Mays, when he was alive, it must still be good.  Right?

Besides, advertisers have played hard and fast assuming that they know what Hendrix, Lennon, and Marilyn would be pimping out were they still on the planet.  At least, Mays is on record.

While everyone is posting their reminisces of Michael Jackson, I figured I should post mine, by pointing out that I have always had better music taste than you.  I also thought this would be a good time since most of my life story is retconned, to let you know that the Origin story is still intact.

Thriller had some appeal to me, but Michael wouldn't have made the list of my ten or twenty favorite artists of the time.  New wave started to hit about the same time I was learning Math and English.  Not that I didn't like Thriller, but it wasn't a cassette (sic) that I would have bought.  I was young enough that a song simply being catchy and upbeat like "Say, Say, Say" was good enough to like.  I will still justify liking that song, but there was no excuse for "That girl is mine", and I liked it then too .   ("Say, Say, Say" went to #1 on the US charts, "That girl..." to #2, yet  80's classic "Tainted Love" only barely broke the top ten here- I'm not the only one who retcons).  "Billie Jean" I will argue is a classic and "Beat It" had Eddie Van Halen guitar, so it's crossover appeal was apparent.

With due respect to the 808 drum machine and the Audio Tune voice processor, R&B was a different beast back then, and I would think nothing of listening to Billy Squier, Greg Kihn, Cameo, and Shalamar.  Even mindless dance music like Shannon's "Let the music play" had innovation behind it.

It should be noted somewhere that my two favorite artists were sweaty, crucifix-wearing, shirtless Brits Billy Idol and Adam Ant.  I was a middle schooler who's two favorite songs included the lyrics "You see and feel my sex attack" and "If I strip for you, will you strip for me". 

So, at the end of the day, I'm not convinced that Lady Gaga and Lil Wayne will turn our next generation into a bunch of degenerates. 

I am pretty much as good as an argument of that.  My favorite bands were either the last of the famous, international playboys (Duran, Bowie) or "anything goes" sex maniacs (Frankie, Dead or Alive).  Meanwhile, I could see where this was headed, and quickly knew that i was going to be the last person in my class who would have a girlfriend. 

That as it happened , was inevitably how it all ended, but I got an early start on how to craft a narrative (I'm not the first to tell the "I'm dating a girl two school districts over" story and not the last).  Despite the music I listened to or the videos i watched, it was always my destiny to be the King of Pain.

Things for people like me get better as we get older.  In that time around completing junior high, I had that first dance, first "steady" girlfriend, and had embraced the individual that God had stuck me with being. 

I was just about to have my mind blown as a 15 year old hearing for the first time bands that didn't get played on the radio. 

Before that happened though, bands like INXS and U2 had broken through and had become the soundtrack of my life.  I had also, by now, (while loving all that came before) turned my attention to "serious" music like Springsten, Jackson Browne, Dire Straits, and pondered hopefully that the Russians loved their children, too.

"Bad" was out then, too and as big as an album got (this time Jacko employed Steve Stevens to sell "Dirty Diana" to the crossover audience), but by then (even at the time) Jacko's macho posturing seemed hokey.  Even when shot by Scorcese and scripted by Richard Price, Jackson wasn't "street" in comparison to the pioneering rappers who were now coming along, and not "rock" enough to compete with the starting to detox Toxic Twins.

I didn't have a unhappy childhood, though I don't know that I would want to go back.  I can't argue against Jackson's importance as a cultural icon, but his music wasn't that big of an influence on me. 

This week, DC Comics premiered their 12-part Wednesday Comics.

Like Warren Ellis, I have to credit DC for doing something different.

Wednesday Comics is going to be a weekly comic that is supposed to be a twist on the Sunday comic serials.  In fact, it's not a comic book at all.  It looks like a Sunday comics section or maybe more accurately, a college newspaper.

It's a great idea in theory.  14 stories across the DC spectrum (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Katmandi, Sgt, Rock, Strange Adventures), and an impressive lineup (Gaiman and Allred, Palmiotti and Connor, Adam and Joe Kubert, Kyle Baker, Dave Gibbons, Azzarello, Busiek, Paul Pope).

So far, so good, and set up like the Sunday comics in that a story can standalone or continue from week to week.

Baker, Busiek, and Gaiman sold it for me, but I just don't know if I will make it to issue two.

I appreciate the thought behind it, but it doesn't give me enough.

Despite not being a .. you know...actual comic book, it is $3.99 an issue.  I could probably justify that (there are no ads except on the back page and there are 14 writer/artist teams involved).

Each comic (except 2) gets a full page.  Of course, this means you generally get 6-9 panels per comic.  I know that is the theme of the comic, but it's not enough to suck me in.

Wednesday Comics will require patience on the reader's part and a bit of a financial commitment, and the first issue didn't give me enough reason to give either one.

Great idea.  I would have liked to seen half the stories, and half the price, and you could have thrown in ads, and I would have been sold.

One of the guys at work is a big fan of "alternative rap" (or whatever moniker it's labeled as these days).

I had heard about NASA's The Spirit of Apollo, but until he mentioned it, I hadn't paid much about it.

NASA is a dj collective based in LA and stands for North America/South America (Apollo brings the Brazillian funk).

They've put together some amzing collaborations between rappers and alt-rockers.

You've got Chuck D/David Byrne/Seu Jorge, RZA/John Frusicante, Karen O/Ol Dirty Bastard, Tom Waits/Kool Keith, and a lot more.

The critics have been pretty harsh about this release, and admittedly, I have just started to discover this album, but I think it's pretty good.

Here's Kanye West with Santogold and Lykke Li.

Want to be in the office watching Monty Python and not get in trouble?

It's 20 Business Lessons learned from Monty Python.

Via Tosh.0

Terrell Owens get all of his apologies out now before the season starts.

With Michael Jackson's passing, we have generally heard two stories.

One of the Michael Jackson of Thriller fame, of unforgettable pop songs, of videos shot by Scorsese and Landis.  The Jackson who changed music forever.  the ultimate entertainer who could dance and sing like no one else.

The other story is of Whacko Jacko, the suspected pedophile, living in seclusion luring kids over with his personal playgroud and "Jesus Juice" and secret security alarms and hidden passageways.  The crazy man who dangled his kid from a balcony and covered them in blankets whenever they were in public.

Was Jackson the biggest icon of our generation or did he deserve to be outcast from society?  Which one was he?  Both?

In short, is Jackson deserving of our nation's biggest honor?

The question is:

Does Michael Jackson deserve to be sculpted in butter?

The latest I've read from my always growing pile that warrant mention:

Army@Love: The Hot Zone Club- written by Rick Veitch (DC/Vertigo) - This is the trade paperback collecting the first five issues of this comic at a reasonable $9.99.

Thanks togarbagecanmusic  for bringing this to my attention.  I usually at least check out Veitch's work, but somehow had managed to skip over this.

Veitch is real hit or miss with me, but is occasionally brilliant.  He usually writes and draws, and I'm not crazy about his Kubert style of art.  (Here he draws, while Gary Erskine inks).

A@L does provide a unique, over-the-top, very adult war satire.  I would be tempted to compare him to other Vertigo writers (Garth Ennis' more profane stuff and Warren Ellis's satirical work, are two comparisons that come to mind) but Veitch has been doing this longer than that most of the Vertigo crowd.

I would probably offer it up as hit or miss.  If you're a Vertigo fan, you should at least thumb through it.   It's not going to be for everyone, but it's just different enough, that I will probably keep with it.

Don't go here if you want "True War Experience".  Go here if you get a kick out of the idea that one day the Army may be so needy for troops, that they'll be advertising the Armed Forces as a great way to get laid.

Sir Edward Grey: Witchfinder (In the Service of Angels)- Written by Mike Mignola (Dark Horse)  Five issue miniseries with issue one coming out last week.  I'm sorry, Mike, it seems like you are just too prolific for me.  I am not sure if that is the actual case, but it sure seems like there is a new BPRD or Hellboy miniseries coming out every other week.

Witchfinder seems to offer something slightly different from the usual demons and nazis that we usually get from Mr. Mignola.

We get a beautifully drawn story from the Hellboy-verse, set in Victorian days.  The story brings to my mind the story of Howard Carter and the curse of King Tut..

This really is Mignola at his best.  It is one of those comics that would probably move people who otherwise wouldn't read comics.  I'm intrigued and will finish this one out.

Soul Kiss- written by Steven T. Seagle (Image/Man of Action) - Five issue miniseries that has just wrapped up.

I know that I go on and on about Seagle, but I think he is about the most talented (relatively) unknown writer in comics.

Kudos to Image for starting up the Man of Action imprint.  They've brought in Joe Kelly, Joe Casey, Seagle and others to do comics that aren't superhero comics but look and read like those great indie comics of the 90s.

Soul Kiss definitely has that look.  It's hip.  It's stylish.It also has a great little story that almost seemed to end too soon.

I don't want to give anything away, but the plot reads something like this: "Young girl has ability to steal souls with a kiss".

Again, this is a comic for the non-superhero comic fan.  It reminds me a lot of those great late 80s, early 90s comics that were put out by independent publishers, and really pushed boundaries and imagination.

I can't imagine these titles selling as many as a Spawn or a Savage Dragon spin-off would, but really hope Image sticks with it.

As unlikely as it seems, there was a time where I was tired of hearing about Dinosaur, Jr. It was the 90's and there were a handful of bands that got all the attention of the media outlets I frequented. This was at a time when these places thought it was easy to label that generation (mine) the "Slack generation", and putting J Mascis on the cover was a way to sell copies.

Familiarity breeds contempt, but even still, I liked Dino Jr. Mascis's sonic guitar sounds and alcohol-soaked lyrics were right down my alley.

In 2007, the classic lineup had re-formed and recorded a new album Beyond. (To be fair, by the time I, and most of America got to know Dino Jr, Lou Barlow had left- but they are the classic lineup).

Beyond did not connect with me at the time, which may have more to do with me than the actual recorded material itself. I had not been impressed with Mascis's solo material as J Mascis and the Fog, and he had all but fallen off my radar.

So, when Dino Jr released a new album this year, Farm, it just happened to catch my attention, and I thought I would check it out.

My review?

I like it a lot.

It is classic Dino Jr, and Barlow's contributions really help it flow (I'm a bit of a Sebadoh fan, too).

I would hesitate to say in a better radio environment, this would find a big audience.

Sadly, it isn't and it won't.

It won't end up reaching as many people as their Major Label albums did. Kings of Leon seems to be about the only current rock band to breach the Top 40/MTV waters. Farm would sound perfect on FM radio, but the classic rock stations that it would fit best with don't play anything recorded after 1981. The so-called "modern rock" stations only play polished arena rock and 4th generation GnR/Crue ripoffs; not the grunge pop of the likes of Mascis and co.

It's a shame then, that this won't get played more, but if you are a Dino Jr fan, it's worth looking up. You can hear (and buy) the album on their MySpace page.

Check out the lead song from the album below:

Among the many celebrities who have passed away in the last few days, let me add Mollie Sugden, who I knew best as Mrs. Slocombe from Are You Being Served?

With John Inman and Wendy Richard both passing relatively recently, you have already heard my not-so-guilty love of AYBS?.

Public television in America has largely been for purposes of information programming (science and history) like Nova, children's entertainment like Sesame Street, and entertainment for the senior set.

The weekends brought us British imports like Monty Python, Blake's 7, Doctor Who, and Red Dwarf, all usually at odd hours of the night. Mostly they brought us what I would consider traditional British sitcoms like Last of the Summer Wine and As Time Goes By. Your hipper British shows found places on the more groundbreaking channels like Comedy Central and BBC America.

Of all the Britcoms that found their way to PBS, Are You Being Served is really the only one that ever connected with me, but it is easy to like. It is your basic sitcom and often very basic gags, but the cast was something else. I don't think there are many episodes I haven't seen.

God bless her and her pussy.

 </lj-embed>

It sounds like everyone had a fun and safe Fourth.

Still feeling patriotic?  Why not buy your officemates Chia Obama Heads.

Available in Happy or Determined. Not available at Walgreen's.




Of course, if you have a (much) more sizeable budget, maybe you can buy your own animatronic Obama like Disney:

For the last two weeks, the biggest story in the newscycle is the death of Michael Jackson.  So much so that the main sports story has been a tweet by football player Chad Ochocinco (his legal name.  It's a long story).

Mr. 85 compared the deaths of MJ and Farrah Fawcett to 9/11.

While understandably, his comment is over-the-top, there is something to it.  Jacko's death will be one of our generation's moments we will remember where we were when we heard it (I was headed home from work, listening to sports radio).

As we are reminded, the first 15 years of Jackson's career, he revolutionized pop culture.  Thriller changed the landscape.  It's quick to do the lineage-  without Jackson, does MTV succeed?  Does R&B become mainstream radio's genre of choice?  Which is to say at the end of the day we have Jacko to blame for Spencer Pratt and "Birthday Sex".

For the last 15 years of his career, Jacko went to great lengths to make Howard Hughes look like an old man who just doesn't like to shave.  As those images from the first part of his career (collaborating with Vincent Price and John Landis on Thriller or Martin Scorcese and Richard Price on Bad, the moonwalk at Motown 25 or the later day videos with Eddie Murphy, Iman, and Naomi Campbell), we also have burned into our conscience the images of Jacko dangling his kid from the balcony, the interview following the 93 LAPD investigation, and the Bashir interview.

As in life, Jacko still is the most intriguing (whatever your take) character in Entertainment, as we find out, he was planning to adopt the Octomom's kids.

Still, there has been a flurry of interesting news stories since, mostly surprising deaths.  In the middle of all this, Sarah Palin is stepping down in the middle of her term.

It is a very odd move happening a good two years before primary season.  Not that I would imply that she is stepping down because of any impropriety.  Although as Michael Reagan among others pointed out, comparisons to the Great Communicator may be a bit off (Ronald Reagan took time off between being governor of California and running for President.  He, however, stayed long enough to be re-elected to a second term and filled out his commitments).

All of this craziness is good news to that other governor, Mark Sanford, who in other times would have anyone beat for weirdest story.

Sanford's case lead to one of my favorite articles of the past month - Should Middle Aged men hold office?

The article should be taken with its original intent- a response to all the GOP blowhards who bring up menopause as a reason a woman shouldn't be in power.  If G. Gordon Liddy can say that nonsense without question, but Ms. O'Brien gets a blizzard of responses to her tongue-in-cheek article; well, your double standard is showing.

It has become a symptom of our generation's politicians for whatever reason, that a significant number are willing to throw everything away for an affair (Clinton, Edwards, Ensign, Spitzer, Gary Hart).  There seems to be something in the middle-aged alpha male politician, but we also live in a time where the media doesn't miss a thing.  (I have seen this play out in people I know, too, but I don't want to get any hate mail myself by making generalizations).

For all of the answers that "Clinton did the same thing as Sanford"- well, Clinton never abandoned his job.  Sanford may not step down, but the GOP is not known for standing by their men.  Give them an excuse and they'll roll over them in a second (Foley, Livingston, DeLay, Craig, Hastert).  Newt Gingrich seems to be the only they have forgave, but he had to step down from his Speaker post and spend a few years in the wild.

At the end of the day, you can just tell everyone Sanford was a Democrat.

After news of this weekend's murder of football player Steve McNair, let's hope we can go a few weeks with some slow news days.

One of my favorite phenomenoms about LJ is when people say they are not accepting friends.

"Sorry, I am not accepting friends right now", says the intrepid blogger.

It's such a good idea that I have decided to use it in real life.

"Want to grab something to eat?"

"No.  I am not taking new friends now."

Still, I know I am not the most Friends page-friendly LJ'er.  I like to post a lot of YouTube videos, and some people hate that.

I like to blog about music.  I know it doesn't get more cliche than saying "I like music".   Everybody loves music.

Still,  I spend most of my money on music.  I have been to as many concerts as anyone.  The magazines I buy are about music.  The majority of blogs I read are about music, and I am constantly searching out new music and streaming music.

The fine group assembled here are music fans too.  I have people here who make music, host radio programs, and will spend their free time searching out the most obscure releases and record stores.

I like to share music I like.  I know I can't stay on top of everything, but I figure my role is to promote stuff that I like, and you all will do the same.

I have a handful of intermittent music series here.  I have the New Music Intitiative (promoting off-the-radar and up-and-coming bands), Bad Cover Version (a series I share with def_fr0g_42  that highlights covers), the  One Million Greatest Songs of all time (the definitive list that blows anything Q and Mojo can come up with), Great Lost Albums, and (among many season-themed series) every February, because it seems I'm not alone at being alone, it's Plastique Valentine time.

So, I have added to the list, with On The Shelf, which will highlight new releases that have seen the light of day in the last six months or so.

Stay tuned.

Quiz: You're about to pass out for the night and you only have time to post about one newsstory:

Palin resigning?
North Korea missile testing?
MySpace Mom acquitted?

or ...

The story about the two Mexican midget wrestlers who were poisoned by prostitutes..

Yep

For all of the Americans and expats, Happy 4th of July.

For everyone around the world, have a nice weekend.

For all of those of you in crappy jobs like I was for so many years, working this weekend, be sure to stuff some fun in.