Whine & Cheese

Les Misbarack

Even if you don't watch Saturday Night Live (and for the most part I typically find 92% of the show to be unwatchable), I'm sure you've seen the Tina Fey/Amy Poehler Palin/Clinton kick-off to the new season by now.  But just in case, here's a link to it.

But over the weekend, there was apparently another YouTube vid craze.  I have seen this on too many websites to give the hat tip to only one... but I finally got around to watching it this morning... and it is quite delightful.   

It is November 3, 2008 and at Obama Headquarters the opening notes of Act 1 closer, "One Day More" from Les Miserables, begin to twinkle (which always gives me goose-bumps) and this fictional Obama staff sing (ok, lip synch) the song of hope and love and promise of a brighter tomorrow... even McCain/Palin look-alikes make an appearance as the evil Thenadiers to attempt to comically squash the fun.

Pretty much political and gay marriage made in heaven... plus the Marius guy is pretty darn adorable ala Jim Halpert/John Krasinki.

Express Lane: Issue 53

McCain, Obama put politics aside to mark Sept. 11 - Because nothing says "unpolitical" like showing up at Ground Zero when one is running for President (and my cynicism here is totally bi-partisan). (9/11/08)

Josh Groban Tackles TV Theme Songs - Not that I needed an excuse to watch the Emmys, but if I did a Groban medley including the themes from Friends, The Simpsons, and Brady Bunch would be it. (9/10/08)

Could Clinton have Palin-proofed Dems? - At the risk of sounding sour-grape-ish, I wondered this aloud myself just last night... and always thought HRC would get the blame if Obama (bite my tongue) loses, but this prevent the scapegoating. (9/10/08)

NBC shows return to iTunes after yearlong feud - Hurray!  Seems like a win-win situation for all. (9/9/08)

Fans line up to see "Rent" last time on Broadway - After one extension, the show ends its 12 year run on Sunday.  Looking forward to seeing original cast members Rapp & Pascal when the touring production hits town in March '09. (9/5/08)

Heart tells GOP When They Can Use 'Barracuda' as Sarah Palin's "theme song"... Never! - To quote "The Republican campaign did not ask for permission to use the song, nor would they have been granted that permission." (9/5/08)

'Flight of the Conchords' May Ground Itself - Struggling to come up with songs and narratives, it appears Jermaine and Bret's 2nd season on HBO will likely be their last. (9/3/08)

Ace Young to Join Broadway's Grease - With Danny & Sandy already cast (and re-cast!) from its own 'Grease' reality competition - the show now adds the flowing locks of the former 'Idol' contestant in the role of Kenickie. (8/25/08)

'American Idol' adds fourth judge - Paula gets a female comrade as producer / songwriter, Kara DioGuardi, is set to join the judging panel for the show's 8th season. (8/25/08)

Kiva Update

I haven't mentioned Kiva in a really long time.   So, just for a quick reminder, Kiva is a micro-lending organization... or more like a middleman... in helping folks like us provide loans to people all around the world.  While it is a non-profit, the money you "lend" is not tax-deductible since it is ultimately paid back to you -- and then, if you choose, you can use those same funds to lend to a new person.  (FYI, direct - non-loan - donations to Kiva are tax-deductible)

Recently Kiva changed the way it returns the money back to you.  It used to be that you only received the funds when the loan was fully repaid.  This threw some people in a tizzy... which I didn't really think was in the whole "spirit of giving"... heck, I was just happy to be helping someone out and that I was getting the money back eventually... I wasn't doing this as investment (some folks wanted interest on their loaned money) or concerned myself if Kiva was getting interest on "my" money... but alas this was an issue to some...so in the last couple of weeks, Kiva now credits your account as each monthly payment comes in. 

All these partial loan re-payments have pretty much shut-down the Kiva site... much like when the organization was mentioned on The Today Show... or Bill Clinton in his book... or the biggie of 'em all... Oprah... all the loans have been scooped up. 

When I first joined Kiva in June 2007, I made what I dubbed for a very long time a rookie "mistake."  The minimum contribution to a loan is $25, but at the beginning I tended to give a bit more than that since I wanted to help out more.  Well, it took only a couple of days to realize that the loans were always filled... and that it was actually more "fun" when you a large group of people from all around the world pulled together to help out this one person. 

However, I decided to take on a loan all by myself... and at several hundred dollars.  It's not like I couldn't afford it... but afterward, I realized I had tied up all that money for 18 months (the term of the loan) - when I could have "spread the wealth" and contributed $25 to dozen+ other people.  To make matters worse, it took a very long time for the first loan re-payment to show up and it went into "delinquency"... and I feared the money would truly be lost if it defaulted (again, not that it really mattered... as my intention was just to "recycle" the funds to others).

However, 6 months later the first payment showed up... and there has not been a missed monthly payment since... and now with Kiva's new credit/return policy all those interim money is back in my account... but given that it was one of my first loans and my initial worries about the non-payments, it is a quite special one to me... so I was thrilled this week when I received this field update about the loan (and a picture!):

 

I am writing with an update on the loan you made to Victorine.   My name is Yuan – I’m from the UK - and I am privileged to be the Kiva Fellow working with microfinance NGO GHAPE based in the country’s North West Province.    

Victorine is now in her third year as a GHAPE borrower. Her first loan was used to buy more supplies for her business cooking and selling food at the local market. She used the profits and the money GHAPE encouraged her to save, to pay her children’s school fees. After successfully repaying her second loan, Victorine borrowed money on the loan you made for her business. She says things are going well – she is ahead with her repayments - and the loan has been a “wonderful” help.     Before joining GHAPE she and her husband had just built their house which was totally empty, so she is very pleased that they have been able to furnish it.    

Victorine says she cannot even explain how much the loans have improved her life, though she also complains about having to occasionally cover for other borrowers who cannot meet their repayments.

If only all of life's "mistakes" could end up like this one!

We Are The Champions

If you'll indulge me one more tennis post today... always enjoy seeing the Grand Slam champions touring the town the day after their big wins... and always a bit disconcerting to see them in "normal" clothes!

I am thinking Serena Williams was definitely stopping traffic in Times Square on Monday!

While Roger Federer took his trophy photo shoot to the top of the Empire State Building on Tuesday!

I was sorta wondering how they got such a clear shot of the city... well, not clear as in the weather... but without that quite necessary observation deck protective fencing... but this next shot shows, that Roger (and I'm thinking just one photographer!) got to go where nary a tourist gets to go (I would think!)...

Yikes! 

Top Ranked, Bottoms Up

Definitely in "event" hangover mode this morning.  It is hard to believe that one month ago we were in Beijing for the big day... it seems like all that was eons ago... and our Olympic experience was really divided in two... being there... and then watching it at home for the second week.  That was followed by the back-to-back political conventions conventions and in the middle of that over 100 hours of US Open coverage... no, I didn't watch it all... but probably pretty darn close. 

So it is pretty bizarre to see that our TiVo isn't recording all that much ... or at least nothing compared to the 4+ hour chunks of HD programming it was churning out over the past month. 

I was thrilled with outcome of the US Open.  As the younger sibling, I have always had a soft spot for Serena Williams and it was cool to see her get so excited, despite all of her previous successes, over her win at the Open... and with that a return to the #1 ranking.  The 5+ years it took her to get back up there is the longest stretch in WTA history between stints at #1... and it also marked 6 years since her last win at Flushing.  Pretty amazing since many thought (myself included) that both Venus and Serena would long be gone from tennis way before their now-retired peers Hingis, Clijsters, and Henin.

On the men's side, while I was hoping for yet another meeting between my two favorites - Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal - it didn't quite happen... but it was hard to be mad at Andy Murray for raining on my parade as I was very impressed with the manner at which he took out Rafa in the semis. 

The silver lining is that Rafa should end the year with the #1 ranking ... and Roger did go on to win the Open, scoring a historic double consecutive quintet (5 in at a row at both Wimbledon and the US) and his 13th Grand Slam, now just one short of tying Sampras' record... and saved his "disastrous" year - which could only maybe kinda sorta be considered a "bad" year vs. what Nadal accomplished this year.

I don't think I have ever been pretty much 50/50 fans of the Top 2 ranked players, especially in the heat of their rivalry.  I warmed up to the likes of Navratilova and Graf towards the end of their careers, but rooted for Evert or Seles.  I respected Sampras' accomplishments but never was a devoted follower and again didn't warm up to Agassi until the end... so this is a bit unusual...

Though it has absolutely nothing to do with how they celebrate after their big wins (Rafa at the Olympics, Roger at the Open).... hello!

Map Quest 2008

First off, no worries this is not turning into a political blog ... just going thru a bit of a phase here... so this too shall pass.

For the last two elections, we have been a bit obsessed with electoral college map projections (and no, I don't hear any of the snickering out there). I am always slightly amused when I read headlines like this one from this morning... McCain, Obama tied at 48 percent: opinion poll... actualy, even funnier, since the headline link I clicked said this: "McCain takes 4-point lead over Obama in poll"... but as we - and the Gore family - well know, presidents are not elected by overall popular vote. 

So while it's still opinion polling (which despite being "in the business" am not sure how much faith I have in them either)... I still think looking at polls state-by-state is a much better way of seeing how the election is stacking up/shaking out.  It seems like we stumble upon a new electoral projection map every election cycle... and today I am sharing the one we've latched onto this year... Todd's discovery of Real Clear Politics.

As with previous elections, this one averages several polls to determine "solid" and "leaning" states for each candidate ... as well as those tantalizing toss-up states.  All the numbers are provided in easy to read charts as well.  Here's a look at that map, as of this morning... with 270 electoral votes needed to secure the presidency.  (BTW, these are screen-caps - so clicking on them will not accomplish anything)

But as we are all well aware, when all is said and done... there is no such thing as a toss-up state ... so here's a look at that same map with each state being "declared" no matter how small the margin of victory. So, likely depending on your political affiliation... the map below is pretty scary or encouraging (or both!), but a nail-biter for sure....again, 270 electoral votes win it!

As a Democrat, I am kinda sorta okay with map ... well, not really... but in the last two elections, these same kind of projections had me thinking that both Gore and Kerry were headed for the White House... and while I have been slowly allowing myself the audacity to hope... this is certainly telling me that it is going to be another long night come November 4th.

The site also gives you a map that you can "play" with and turn states "red" or "blue" ... so just for kicks, I can turn AZ blue (ha!)... or if you can put aside all the politics and  play Connect 4 or Othello with the map!

Fey-McCain, McCain-Palin

This is hot off the presses from Towleroad (via Defamer)... but since I have a few readers who very likely to do not visit either of those blogs, I just had to share what is now a very now funny/eerie cover of Life Magazine from September 2004!  I tacked on the left photo for comparative purposes... but isn't this a hoot!  (And on a purely personal editorial note, this may just explain the selection decision... even though I am not a fan of 30 Rock, I still love Tina)

And at least this isn't Photoshop trickery like the whole star-spangled bikini clad, gun-toting Palin that has spread across the Web like wildfire.

I still have my hopes that Tina Fey will return to Saturday Night Live for the premiere next week to play VP nominee Sarah Palin (actually sheer nirvana would be Fey and Megan Mullally doing a Palin-off!)...  though I know the chances are slim to none... as Fey was never much "actor" on the show and career-wise has moved on to bigger and better things. 

Fall 2008 TV Schedule

It seems these past few weeks I've spent an exorbitant amount of time in front of the television -- and given how much one my think I normally watch -- that's really saying something... first it was the Olympics (pretty much on 24/7), then the Democratic Convention, then the Republican Convention, and tennis' US Open thrown in the middle of that mix as well.   

All this extra stuff got to be so much, I actually did the unthinkable -- stopped watching this season of Big Brother!  Shocking, I know!   We were 5+ episodes beyond after getting back from Beijing -- then was too wrapped up in watching the Olympics... that it just seemed like a sacrifice that needed to be made... and potentially dangerous for watching future editions as I seem to be surviving just fine without it.

This week the TV Guide Fall Preview edition arrived in the mail.  I remember being all excited to check out the new shows and figure out which ones to watch... or how I was going to watch them all... but this year, it looks like it won't be all that much (I think I just heard a sigh of relief from a special someone).   Not sure if it was last year's writer's strike that put brakes on new shows for this season, but pretty much not picking up anything new...

Here's the day-by-day run-down of what it looks like we'll be watching (and if you want to check out the fall schedule yourself, here's a link to TVG's grid):

Monday:  Dancing With the Stars, Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother
Big Bang was our break-out hit of new shows from last season... and I think it's a crime that Jim Parson (Sheldon) did not get an Emmy nomination.

Tuesday: Dancing With the Stars: The Results
Shockingly enough, that's all folks

Wednesday: New Adventures of Old Christine
Again, a pretty slim night... with CBS moving the Julia Louis-Dreyfus comedy to kick off a new hour of comedy on Wed. night.   Much like Big Bang, I think Christine is under-appreciated.

Thursday:  My Name Is Earl, Kath & Kim, The Office
And we arrive at the only new show on tap - Molly Shannon's Kath & Kim... it looks quite odd and I'm not sure how much Molly I can stomach, but will give it a try.  Earl is on really shaky ground, really stopped watching it the latter half of last season... and you may notice, the final part of NBC's comedy quartet - 30 Rock - is missing.  I've given the show a couple of tries and but my eh-ness over Tracy Morgan and (especially) Alec Baldwin seem to trump my love of Tina Fey.  Also MIA is Survivor: Gabon, again tempting since this will be the first Survivor season in HD, but pretty much tired of it (again a case of where you skip a season and don't really miss it).

Saturday:  Nothing
Remember when Saturday night used to be THE night for television - Mary Tyler Moore, All in the Family, Bob Newhart, Golden Girls, Love Boat??? 

Sunday:  Amazing Race, Desperate Housewives, Brother & Sisters
By far our biggest night of TV... ending with what, somewhat arguably, is now our favorite show - Brothers & Sisters.

But before you get too impressed with what I think is our lightest TV schedule of all-time... it will be more than a bit filled in with shows not on the Big 4 networks.  On HBO, we'll be watching the return of Entourage and give Alan Ball's (creator of Six Feet Under) new vampire series, True Blood, a try-out... and likewise I have heard good things about Little Britain.   On Showtime, recently admitted sex-addicted David Duchovny returns for a second season of Californication (where he plays a fairly sex-addicted writer)... and on USA, and even after seeing 3,427 commercials for it during the US Open, somehow I still want to give out Debra Messing's The Starter Wife a shot.

And then... a recent trend is a whole new season of TV starting in January... so it will be the return of such shows as 24 (totally scuddled last season by the writer's strike), American Idol, Lost (embarassingly enough, we still haven't watched the last 4 episodes of last season!), Scrubs ("debuting" on ABC at some point), and likely another cycle of Dancing With the Stars.  So our TiVo, despite a somewhat slow start, will still be pretty darn busy!

Wearing The Pants(uit)

I've been sitting on this picture from the Democratic National Convention for awhile now... during ABC's convention coverage, they aired this test/run-through of which color pantsuit would be best for Hillary Clinton's convention speech... so I was glad there was a picture that I could "borrow" and post here.

While I understood why they did it, it still cracked me up... even more here, with the expression on the guy's face on the left.  I wonder how many other colors there are in Hillary's closet?  Anyhow, I think the right choice was made to go with the orange - the blue and aqua seemed to fade into the background, while the red would have been probably too strong. 

Anyhow, this is pretty much old news since the RNC is well underway.  Despite left/liberal leanings, I think it is still important to see what both side are saying, even if the result is the taste of vomit in one's mouth.  Now, I know conventions are just alleged adult versions of the high school pep rallies and preaching to the proverbial choir ... that's one reason I'm watching only the 1 hour of coverage on ABC (my personal preference, even with Diane Sawyer's cooing)... I can only stand so much... from either party!

I snarked that the second (but really first) night of the RNC seemed like 'Grumpy Old Men 2' with speeches from Fred Thompson and, still a bit staggeringly disturbing, Joe Lieberman... plus the video appearance from the current president. 

But that was merely a pretty unsatisfying appetizer to last night's appearance of Rudy Guiliani and VP nominee Sarah Palin.  Holy crap, the claws came out... and I fear (yet again!), that the Dems don't have the cahones to go after their opponents like these folk... and that's not meant to be an insult.   

Not that there weren't plenty of things I found disturbing - from the still eerily empty NYC skyline serving as the backdrop from Guiliani's speech - and that he had the gall to say the Dems had not uttered the fear-inducing date of "9/11" while nearly 7 years later nothing has yet to rise from the ashes of the WTC site...

... and while Palin's speech has been reported as "using wit, sarcasm, charm and ridicule"... admittedly through my politically filtered glasses (well, contact lenses) I found there to be more sarcasm and ridicule than wit and charm.  Personally, I found the tone of the night to be mocking and mean-spirited and particularly tired of Cindy McCain's smug smiling and head bobbing... and apparently life in a small town is admirable, but "community organizing" is fodder for condescension. 

But again, even from the other side of the political spectrum, I can certainly see why the GOP is pretty thrilled this morning.  Again, it's the paradox where folks seem to dislike "going negative," but more times than not it has proven to be an effective strategy.

We're certainly in for an interesting 2 months until Election Day.

DWTS7 Cast Photos!

Stumbled onto the cast pictures for the upcoming season of Dancing With The Stars... and boy do they seem even cheesier than normal (which is really saying something)... must be that cosmic via green-screen background... which, with an exception or two, are the only "stars" you'll be seeing below.

I was semi-lazy and just cut/pasted my team text from the earlier "announcement" post... and then tossed in the photos.

Susan Lucci (soap opera legend - paired with Tony Dovolani)
Toni Braxton (singer - paired with Alec Mazo)
Lance Bass (formerly of N'Sync-er - paired with Lacey Schwimmer)
Kim Kardashian (reality show creation - paired with Marc Ballas)

Cloris Leachman (veteran actress and 82 years old! - paired with Corky Ballas, Marc's dad!)
Ted McGinley (sitcom regular - paired with Inna Brayer)
Brooke Burke (actress/hosted reality show Rock Star - paired with Derek Hough)
Warren Sapp (former NFL-er - paired with Kym Johnson)

Maurice Greene (Double gold medalist in track at the 2000 Sydney Olympics - paired with Cheryl Burke)
Misty May-Treanor (fresh 2-time beach volleyball gold medalist - paired with Maks Chmerkovskiy)
Rocco Dispirito (chef - paired with Karina Smirnoff)
Cody Linley (of "Hannah Montana" - paired with Julianne Hough)
Jeffrey Ross (comedian - paired with Edyta Sliwinska)