Gravedigger is always cool. Also like the one where he does a run on three wheels.

I'm sorry. What? Why do minor children need to be driving?

I take offense that there's a right answer.

Whatever Flynn wrote. The title doesn't matter. .  .

(American Assassin) 

Then there was the guy that nailed the showcase price on Price is Right. . . Drew did NOT look impressed or happy. Bad host.

And someone thought it be worth it to record it. . .

You know, I'm not sure just because there's more news available-- or information readily available-- means we, as a group spend any more time consuming news than in the past. The format changed (from print, word of mouth to TV, internet) but our interest patterns have not.

We all know that the tea party movement has also always been anti-establishment regardless of political party hat. As it demanded it representative base be more conservative,It played a role in flipping the house to D in 2006 (although it really wan't called anything then),

Since this is a representative government, it makes perfect sense that those of this political bent would want a showing of their ideology in a position of influence, otherwise, what's the point of voting? For myself, I think that the reasons Bachmann wouldn't be considered for council chair are the best reasons she should-- because insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result. It's not about who;s next in line. It's about who's right for the job. In that vein Alan West should be speaker. Who;s with me?

The most underwhelming overwhelming victory, ever?

Although Toomey and Rubio and Kirk, among others, won many of us are not so enthusiastic I'll take losing with O'Donnel rather than winning with Castle.The losses in CO really hurt-- there was no reason for them. Likewise, there was no good reason for WV voters to send Manchin-- but I understand why.

NV was a shock because the polls were off by at least 8% when they were pretty much right everywhere else (within 2% at the worst; however, I'm told that Sad Reid, a Melancholy Reid, a Small and Sorry Reid is still valuable).

Alaska is a clusterfrak. A CA in waiting. How dare Miller suggest that AK can develop its own wealth from its own natural resources than relying on the Govt teat?

Every Murkowski, McCain, Snowe, Collins, G. Smith is a win for the Washington insider establishment. Each is a win for the national media that can and will paint conservatives as ineffectual when these aforementioned liberals with an R next to their names scheme and connive in their own self interests. For that reason, I'm not too broken up about Fiorina in CA

Skelator turned good in the end, though. Thanks to Santa and some kids.
I'm linking to this vid. . . now. Best Klavan yet.

But who do you want sitting in the leg chair on Red Eye?

NPR? Well I think, though we have to divorce the "news" appendage from the entertainment appendage. Car Talk, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me and Prairie Home Companion do have at leas some entertainment value. They could CERTAINLY exist on satellite radio, for sure.

For me, though if we're going to talk about ending grants to the CPB and whatnot, then we could also talk about the entire granting process for higher education and arts (NSF, NEA, ect/)

I mean for many academics, you spend most of the time writing grant proposals to get enough grant money to float your next grant proposal. Oh, and it better be something that's appealing to the busybodies that want to use your findings to empower their statist agenda. Ok, maybe that's a bit too tin foil hat-ish

Exactly. I was just thinking just this morning that both my parents and grandparents had encyclopedia sets, dictionaries and a thesaurus or two.

We, however, do not own a dictionary, let alone an encyclopedia series (can they even be bought anymore?). It has been 10 years since we've even had a phone book. Well, we did get something resembling a phone book on the doorstep last week, but I think it's already hit the recycling.

I grew up in central FL. No AC. Oh, we had it, just didn't use it. But I wonder, Mr. Lileks, if it's not the Utopian past these weirdos are longing for, but a dystopian future (a la Mad Max)?

I suppose that explains re-runs (A-Team, Karate Kid, Red Dawn, Tron, Footloose, Voltron / Go Lion, etc.) at the cinema, too. Still no love for Powers of Matthew Star, yet.
Anyway, I think one of the more attractive things about "reality" shows is the typical audience can recognize and identify with the actors/participants more readily than a scripted drama. Additionally, there's the idea that average people (often "worse off" than one's self) in relatively average situations (with just a little help) can win.

 Wapner? Better examples would be Oprah and Donahue. Sally Jesse and Springer. The "endless parade of human debris".

So called "reality" TV, I think, is only the natural evolution thereof; but, they're also game shows* further evolving into style that was the subject of King's The Running Man-- if not there already.
*except for Pawn Stars, of course. I mean it's educational, right?