Featured Post

Click Here for Excerpts (and Reviews) for New Book

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

My Favorite Creed

NYT breaks big story today-- Creed Bratton, "The Office" curmudgeon, was a guitarist in the hit '60s rock group The Grass Roots, and is still rocking, with a new album (that also features Ed Helms on banjo). Here's the group on the old Jimmy Durante Show (dig his intro), with Creed the young guy on far left.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Sunday Morning in the Church of Beethoven

My weekly feature. This week: new trailer for my friend Kerry Candaele's projected movie feature, "Following the Ninth." Contact Kerry, or me, if you wish to help fund. Also: I am heading to NYC in a few minutes for the Sixth and the Ninth at Avery Fisher, thanks to writer who I have met only on Twitter!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Yes, We Can't

Hysterical mash-up of will.i.am classic Obama campaign call with Rep. John Boehner's losing "Oh no you can't" this week.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Day After Passage of Health Reform: Dudamel, "Ode to Joy"

Second Episode of My Rock and Roll Series Arrives

And it covers the day I helped discover Bruce Springsteen--at Sing Sing Prison in 1972. Or as Merle Haggard might say, "Sing Sing me back home/With a song I sued to hear."

Second Week of my The Nation Gig Arrives

Media Fix blog not launching until April but Twitter feed up and running and catching on.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Back in the Days of Shock and Awe

On 7th anniversary of Iraq war onset very little media coverage, so we look to Neil Young, who recorded still the best antiwar album of this period. "History was a cruel judge of over confidence."

Thursday, March 18, 2010

My Official Welcome

Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor and publisher, does the honors. Twitter feed for my new blog has almost 1000 followers in less than 4 days.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Box Tops, 1969

RIP Alex Chilton. "The Letter" was #1 for, like, five weeks.

R.I.P. Alex Chilton

Paul Westerberg does "Alex Chilton." Dead of heart attack today in NOLA at 59. I saw Big Star at fabled rock critic convention in Memphis in May 1973.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Trailer for NOLA-based 'Treme' Coming to HBO

From David Simon.

Amy Ryan as Judy Miller

Good portrayal of a Judy Miller figure in Green Zone, except character works for WSJ, not NYT. Key scene has the Matt Damon WMD-hunter confronting her about the lies in her articles in a hotel room. Couldn't find that on Youtube but here is a much earlier scene where she tries to find out why Damon hasn't been able to find the WMD she promised in her pieces. Note that Matt's name in flick is ....Miller.

Monday, March 15, 2010

My New Gig Announced!

The Nation magazine has just announced my hire to write their first super-active media blog. You can read their announcement, my own piece on it being "40 years in the making," and go to the Media Fix twitter feed. More TK. -- Greg Mitchell

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Questioning WMD Intel in Iraq

Matt Damon in the must-see Green Zone -- with cameo by my old pal, vet leader Paul Reickhoff.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Slipping Them a Mickey

The NYT Magazine Q&A this Sunday hosts longtime blogger Mickey Kaus, who has decided to run for the Senate in California -- to the right of incumbent Barbara Boxer. On the subject of other writers/bloggers he complains: "Ezra Klein gets under my skin. He seems to spout the party line. I think he knows that it’s wrong but feels it’s his duty to fight the good cause." He also reveals that he once made $90,000 as a blogger for Slate but now has taken a pay cut. Also: It's unclear if he can keep writing for Slate as he runs for office.

Here's an excerpt:

Are you married?
No. There must be something wrong with me.

Can your campaign survive the collective attacks of bloggers?
I’m pursuing the dense-pack strategy. You do a missile-defense system where you’re completely open to multiple missile attacks. But the idea is that the incoming warheads will knock each other out.

The opposite could happen: with bloggers deciding to seek office.

I guess the larger point is we’re in an age where the barriers to politics, like the barriers to journalism, are collapsing. There’s this whole notion of a party in a laptop that got credence when Howard Dean ran.

Colbert Takes a Stab at Karl Rove

Cuts him up over new memoir. Finds out he is a sweet guy.
Karl Rove's New Book
The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full EpisodesPolitical HumorSkate Expectations

Thursday, March 11, 2010

The 'Seedy' Glenn Beck

Survival Seed Bank
The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full EpisodesPolitical HumorSkate Expectations

Glenn Beck's Massa Peel

Sour Gropes
The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10c
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show
Full Episodes
Political HumorHealth Care Reform

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

I'm Back from London...With Some Bullshit

Funny or die, indeed:

Thursday, March 4, 2010

London Calling

Probably no, or little, posting the next few days as I head to London to offer morale support for my daughter, who is six weeks from producing her first kid, a boy. Wish all of us luck! Will be attending the supposedly great new play Enron on Saturday starring one of my favorite Brit bad guy actors Tim Pigott-Smith (Jewel in the Crown, V for Vendetta, Bloody Sunday, etc.) There's a great Van Gogh exhibit in town (letters matched with art) but beyond that mainly doing family stuff.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Sexy Sadie, Revisited

Bizarre editor's note in tomorrow's NYT, obviously after legal action, going back to 2008 article on guy who worked with Beatles, at center of their controversy with Maharishi--Times agreed to post on Web long, long statement by guy. 

An 'SNL' Presidents' Re-Union -- for a Cause!

Bunning: Hall of Shame Pitcher

Jim Bunning Is Just a Dick
The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10c
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show
Full Episodes
Political HumorHealth Care Reform

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

OK GO Meet Rube Goldberg

If you love falling chains of dominos and much beyond, dig this:

"Hurt" So Bad

We brought you the fun parody of Avatar (below) so here is not quite equal time for joshing at Hurt Locker, via (believe it or not) guys from Jersey Shore.

Best "Avatar" = "Pocahontas" MashUp Yet

CFV 426 - Avatar/Pocahontas Mashup FINAL VERSION from Randy Szuch on Vimeo.

Stewart Sends Bunning to Bull Pen

Senate After Dark
The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10c
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show
Full Episodes
Political HumorHealth Care Reform

We're Baaaack

After losing power, heat, online thanks to snow storm (heavy stuff, not that so much of it) bringing down limbs in front of house, finally fully back -- tho with car needing repair, tree man coming to remove wood, etc. Thanks for your patience...