Today's WaPo story about the six contenders to head the RNC is unintentionally hilarious.

Personally, my pick would be either Chip Saltsman, the dud that sent around the "Barack the Magic Negro" song, or Katon Dawson, who until recently was a member of an all-white country club.

Why? Because I'm in favor of people who make bad decisions heading the RNC.

Of course, my delight is fleeting, as I fully expect the Democrats to screw it up anyway. But for the moment, I'm amused.

The AARP has a Modern Love column, too.

My sports bra brand that I've worn since high school has been discontinued. This is terrible! Let's all write to Champion explaining to them that they need to restart production on the Sportshape Bra, item # CH009F. (There are a few on e-bay, but that is not a sustainable solution.) This really is distressing. I don't think you're taking this seriously enough.

Also we just saw a Hyundai commercial that said, "And if you lose your job in the next year, you can return the car." We did not go read the details, though.

Does this count as a good post?

So, without finding a link, my understanding is that Leno thought he'd want to retire, so a few years ago NBC signed Conan to replace him. Then recently Leno changes his mind, so they announce that he'll have an hour-long show before Conan, five nights a week.

Which I would be indifferent to, except that Jammies pointed out that an hour, five nights a week is really a lot of real estate to displace. And therefore that five shows that are in danger of being axed could be discontinued to make room for this Leno crap. Certainly Leno is a lot cheaper to produce than five hour long shows. But if they cancelled, say, Friday Night Lights, that would very much piss me off.

I went to see Frost/Nixon last night. I didn't really want to, having had some serious problems with the play, but I was hungover and couldn't do much more than sit and watch a screen.

The movie is even worse than the play. I felt that it was total bullshit. I don't want to get too spoileriffic, but my main problem was that the movie cultivates an air of a faux documentary, trying to convince the readers that it's well-researched and based on actual events, and then completely invents a pivotal scene that is supposed to explain both Frost and Nixon's motivations. I was pissed enough that this went unmentioned in the movie (my recollection was that it's admitted in the play) but really turned against it upon learning of even more insidious manipulation of events from my fellow moviegoers after the show.

The acting was great and it's surely going to win a lot of awards, but I think this movie should be shunned and scorned. I can't quite put my finger on why this annoys me to the degree it does but it I think the issue does raise some interesting questions about movies like Frost/Nixon and W and others. How much greater is the responsibility to present recent events accurately than things that happened further back in history? How faithful do you have to be vs. how much manipulation is allowed for dramatic license? What about when the film is obviously trying to show parallels between history and today? Can a movie present itself as historical, grossly distort the facts, and still be considered good art?

Wait: a bunch of Canadians think women's ski jumping should be allowed in the upcoming Winter Olympics? Next you're going to tell me they've got gay marriage up there, too. HA!

More seriously, it seems they're right. Or at least, that the IOC's media-relations team is out to lunch; hence the utter lack of any convincing explanation. I offer a (perhaps one-sided) internet video.

Much, much less seriously, if you're going to use a Van Halen song to back your video about women ski jumpers' rights, isn't the more obvious choice, you know, "Jump"?

Here, have some Charlie Robison.

Any resolutions?

Sighted on a ski-lift support pole: "Superfund Investments".

Like, as in toxic waste?

In this topsy-turvy world, who's to say which ones of us are really making the world a better place? And which ones of us are just running around wearing our underwear on top of our clothes?

Via Jammies

So what are your predictions for the new year? Put 'em in comments so you can link to them with an "I told you so" later.

Although I don't always like their music (and they certainly lost me with the baffling cover selections for PROG!!!! Or perhaps the title is baffling; whatever: all I know is that something about it runs me amok. Maybe I should actually listen to the album, though) The Bad Plus have a great blog with very good writing about music (such as is likely to incite many desires in your breast). In particular these two posts and the links spreading outward from the first are nice: One; two. See also the "table of contents" link in the upper left hand corner.

Someone needs to turn this into a Modern Love.

Tuesday, 30th December, at Cantina, 580 Sutter St., near the convention hotels and BART, not near Josh's workplace, to begin at 7 pee em, participants to adhere to the dress code where possible.

So, I had written off the whole Pastor Warren kerfuffle as a fight not worth fighting. I just don't care that much which particular person, place, or thing offers forth some utterance about some supernatural this or that at this particular Inauguration. I really am that zany and dismissive. Hence, whatever. I'd be quite fine with skipping that line in the program anyway.

But if you're going to be a dick about it (and, by the by, you can see the whole clip here), then, yeah, Barry O. should pick someone else.

[via eric, who smartly grabs the delightful "That's rich. And also a really bad argument." as a title]

So, sharing one set of iPod headphones is the sharing one ice-cream soda with two straws of the twenty-first century?