Nonsensible Incentives

A cold hard fact: people love incentives. If you dangle a carrot, someone is bound to follow. And the examples are endless because it's apparently a business model that works... at least for the company.

Exhibit A - Soda Rewards Points
Pepsi and Coke both offer codes on 2-liters, 20 ounce bottles, and 12 packs. A consumer can collect the codes, which are redeemed for points. In turn, those points are traded for free raffle entries, MP3s and various "big-ticket" items. Of course, the exchange rate is worse than the U.S. Dollar to the British Pound. Still, the thought process is that you're getting more bang for your buck with a particular soda brand, and so you keep buying that brand. Unfortunately, getting that plastic Diet Coke bank you've set your eye on will likely cost you the shirt off your back.

Exhibit B - Frequent Flyer Miles
Travel a lot? You're probably stuck with a ton of American Airlines AA Rewards, Delta Sky Miles or Continental Airlines OnePass points. As you're probably aware, the airline industry is taking a major hit thanks to skyrocketing oil prices (fuel, food, and so on). Good luck finding an airline that won't charge you an arm and a leg to use those miles. Don't worry... you can just charge the fee on your mileage accruing credit card. BONUS! Score one for you -- or not.

Exhibit C - Credit Cards
Almost every credit company offers an array of "points" or "mileage" cards. There's usually some fine print associated with them, such as when your points expire or how they can shut the program down at the snap of a finger. There may even be extra money involved with getting that plasma or LCD flat screen TV you always wanted. The good news here is that cards that require a yearly fee to enroll (such as American Express Green, Gold or Platinum) often stay on your side. The downside? Paying a yearly fee on-top of everything else when you're struggling to keep your finances together in a crashing economy.

The list goes on... and don't think the government isn't joining in on the carrot dangling fun. Enjoying those stimulus checks?

If that weren't enough, Republican presidential hopeful John McCain recently shot the incentive concept out of a cannon by offering a $300 million cash reward to whoever develops a better, environmentally friendly car battery. Double take alert: $300 MILLION???

...AND THEY'RE OFF!

U.S. Supreme Court: "Everyone Can Have a Gun!"

This morning, by a vote of 5-4, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that every one should have the right to purchase a firearm thanks to the second amendment. According to the AP breaking news release, the decision says "Americans have a right to own guns for self-defense and hunting."

This marks the first time in U.S. history that the Supreme Court made an official ruling on gun rights. Apparently, the justices were caught up in the wording of the second amendment: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."

Obviously, there can still be regulations in place for who can and how to purchase these firearms. Still, this should lead to gun enthusiasts lobbying for less restriction by way of the Supreme Court's decision.

2008 Presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and John McCain have yet to comment on the announcement.

Maybe t-shirts and bumper stickers will now read: "Stupid people with guns kill people."

A Rush to Recycle History

As the adage goes: what's old is new again... and vice-versa. So it begs the question... is this 2008 or 1968?

Believe it or not, the two years have quite a bit in common. One could chalk it up to coincidence, but it seems America enjoys repeating history and just labeling it differently the second, third or fourth time around.

Be kind, please rewind.

In 1968, the wind was fully knocked out of that era's "change" campaign when Robert F. Kennedy met the same fate as his brother, JFK. Until then, people were rallying their support for the Kennedy family and everything it represented.

Flash forward to 2008.

Ted Kennedy is battling a brain tumor and the remaining Kennedy clan members have rallied around Senator Barack Obama... a candidate hugging the "change" slogan.

Hop back into the time machine for a moment.

1968 also happens to be the year Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. Racial tensions in the country could only be cut by a jackhammer. Today, many believe Obama's race will play a factor in the general election. A very sad thought, indeed. Of course, from an observatory stand-point, it's somewhat of a catch-22. On one hand, there could be people who might not vote for Obama because of his race. On the other, there are a number of key policy differences between Obama and McCain. It would be an absolute mistake to assume that race plays the ultimate deciding factor.

[Sidenote: Obama will be giving his nomination acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver on August 28, 2008 -- the 45th year anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.]

On 4/29/68, the controversial musical Hair opened on Broadway. Currently, The Public Theatre, where Hair made its off-Broadway debuted 40 years ago, is doing a revival. Many of the songs became anthems for the anti-Vietnam War movement. Sound familiar? Nevertheless, the Vietnam-Iraq comparisons are endless from every angle. In fact, the U.S. Department of Defense started sending troops back to Vietnam for involuntary second tours that year. Oh... and after a 1968 coup, Saddam Hussein began his rise to power. Hm.

There were also a number of manned space missions.

Looking back on it, civil rights, racial relations, assassinations, earthquakes and war all marred the country and the world in '68, too. To quote the band Matchbox 20, "Let's see how far we've come."

It's not nearly as far as we think.

Spike Lee Equates Obama to Jesus?

A pretty heavy-handed statement from Spike Lee via Reuters:

SILVER SPRING, Maryland (Reuters) - Director Spike Lee, whose movies often cast a sharp eye on U.S. racial politics, predicted a presidential victory for black Democrat Barack Obama that would mark a "new day" for the United States.

"It's going to be before Obama, 'B.B.,' and after Obama -- 'A.B.' -- and some folks need to get used to this," Lee said. "And I'm going to be at the inauguration -- getting my hotel reservation now."

His enthusiasm for the candidate is fine, but comparing an African-American's potential Presidential inauguration to the birth of Jesus might negatively fire-up Christians throughout the nation. Lee could regret that comment... as could Senator Obama.

Obama: "...the country I love."

Ted Johnson over at Wilshire & Washington breaks down the Obama campaign's newest ad. His assessment is pretty straightforward, but he misses one important aspect. The ad is obviously targeting "white America" while ignoring the rest of the country.

With the exception of a quick black and white photograph of Obama's time in Chicago, the entire video shows Obama interacting with white, working-class families and his own. This normally wouldn't be a problem for other candidates, but the true importance of Obama's run for the White House is that he's not the typical white, male candidate that America is used to seeing. By showing him in photos and clips where he visually stands out, it looks like he's trying to "fit in," which he doesn't need to do.

This is a special candidacy for the entire nation on many different levels, and one could assume that his ascent is one of the many reasons he loves this country. It would be nice to see real moments of that love. Despite the fact that race should not play a part, it unfortunately does. He'll never win over ultra conservative voters who don't want such a "change," and this new ad makes him look like Hillary Clinton trying to be "just one of the guys."

Judge for yourself:

"Match Game" Returning to TV and Tinker Bell on the Walk of Fame?

Who doesn't love a hearty helping of "Match Game" shenanigans? The irreverent game show is slated for a potential primetime return. According to Reuters, TBS will shoot the pilot episode this week. Let's be honest... no one can fill Betty White and Charles Nelson Reilly's shoes. And surprisingly, Betty White is not even on the list of castmembers scheduled to appear on the remake. A travesty, indeed.

Meanwhile, the Hollywood Walk of Fame plans to make itself more of a joke next year. Who ever thought that Tinker Bell, The Village People, Shakira, Robert Downey Jr., and Hugh Jackman would all appear on the same list? Unless this is the cast for a new kinky, drug-induced, romper-room 70's movie, hell might be freezing over.

It's Showtime for Matthew Perry

Chandler Bing and "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" fans, take note. Variety is reporting that actor Matthew Perry will star / co-produce / co-write a new dark comedy series, which will take place behind the scenes of a talk-show. Perry plays the talk-show host, who's on-camera and off-camera personas are polar opposites.

As of yet, no former "Friends" star has broken the post-pop culture phenomenon / hit series curse. Perry will take another chance at being the cast's Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who broke a similar "Seinfeld" curse with her multi-season sitcom "The New Adventures of Old Christine."

Perry definitely has as much charm as Julia Louis-Dreyfus and his other "Friends," so if anyone were to have another breakout hit, it would likely be him. At least on a cable series, nothing is really off-limits. That could end up boding well for Perry... not so much for Lisa Kudrow.

Top Chef Meets Big Apple - NYC's Television Addicted Foodies Rejoice!

On Monday, New York Magazine's "Grub Street" blog posted an delicious tidbit from Snack that the upcoming season of Bravo's "Top Chef" will take place in New York.

It should be interesting to see how the new "chef-testants" fair in the most competative city in the world for restauranteurs. But as the saying goes, if they can make it here, they can make it anywhere.

Although New York culinary staples Tom Colicchio, Anthony Bourdain, Daniel Boulud, Wylie Dufresne and Eric Ripert all appear on previous Top Chef seasons, the potential guest list for Top Chef: New York is endless. If Gordon Ramsey doesn't have a special contract with Fox, it would be amazing to see him stop by for a quickfire or two... unless they're saving him for a potential Top Chef: London showdown (...which, by the way, would be genius!)

There's a good chance previous winner Hung Huynh will fill one of those slots, but hopefully Season four's villianous Lisa will never return to the Top Chef stage. At the reunion, which aired on Wednesday night, she continued her reign as the most inexplicably pompous and obnoxious contestant ever. (Note to Lisa: You replaced fellow contestant Spike at Mai House... not head judge Colicchio at Craft... get off your high-horse already!)

Showing Support for the Troops (but Not the War)

According to Wilshire & Washington (Variety's political blog), a number of A-list celebrities plan to join Senator Jim Webb at the UCLA Faculty Center on Sunday in support of the Webb-Hagel G.I. Bill. The proposed bill would provide futher education-related benefits to those who've served in the U.S. military.

The Campaign for a New G.I. Bill sheds some light on why the government should authorize a 21st Century bill:

-We charge our troops $1200 just to be eligible for education benefits.
-Education benefits don’t even cover half the cost of most colleges.
-Most enlisted men and women do not have a college degree.

President Bush and presumptive Republican nominee John McCain feel the proposed bill could hurt troop retention numbers. However, the bill has some legs due to its bipartisan support -- Webb is currently a Democrat and Hagel a Republican.

Mets Finally Fire Randolph, Minaya Gets Trigger Happy

Finally! Despite the poor taste in how Omar Minaya chose to fire Willie Randolph, at least he followed through. Minaya's mistake? Firing Rick Peterson, who unfortunately ended up sinking with the Randolph ship.

True, the bullpen has been atrocious. However, Randolph was the decision maker come game-time. The fact is that without Peterson's coaching and guidance, chances are John Maine and Mike Pelfrey wouldn't be coming into their own as young, talented pitchers. If Randolph chose to ignore Peterson's suggestions during a game, it shouldn't have been the only reflection of Peterson's tenure with the team... but clearly Minaya and Co. believed otherwise. Rather, Minaya should be looking for a better middle reliever and ridding the team of those with little still in their tank or arsenal (here's looking at you, Aaron Heilman!).

The shake-up likely won't change anything in the short term... especially since the team won 3 of their last 4 games. Now that Jerry Manuel has the reigns, a few gutsy moves (and not of the Randolph caliber) -- how about a two-game break for David Wright, even if he protests, so he doesn't hurt himself? -- could help revitalize the team and its fans.

One can only hope.

Tim Russert - A Consummate Journalist

By now, you're probably aware that on Friday the journalism world lost a top notch political journalist -- Tim Russert. His untimely death surely came as shocking news to anyone who followed mainstream politics, and more recently, the Democratic and Republican Presidential primaries.

Ten days ago, this entry was posted regarding comments Tim Russert made while appearing on Chris Matthews' show, "Hardball." He discussed how the media could play a big role in shaping the debate for the 2008 general election between Barack Obama and John McCain.

Here's a reposting of his statement:

"But in an interesting way, based on our previous conversation, it's a role I think the media can play, in really trying to keep pushing this back to this big debate on big issues and not get caught up in a lot of this minor skirmishing that goes on and videotape that gets released where we just run wild with it and sit back and say, what happened? Why did we not cover some of these big differences like Iraq, like Iran, like negotiating around the world, like health care?"

Amen to that... fellow journalists, take note.

Beantown Celtics Prepped for NBA Championship Title

The 2008 NBA Finals, between two love 'em or hate 'em teams, is turning out to be relatively lopsided. Despite a 24-point lead, the Los Angeles Lakers suffered a terrible collapse on Thursday night. The Boston Celtics now lead the head-to-head matchup 3 games to 1, just one win away from the NBA title.

Not only did the Celtics stage an unexpected come from behind victory, they threw salt over an open wound by doing so while the Lakers still held a 20-point lead mid-way through the 3rd quarter. Clearly, Paul Pierce is a drama queen -- there's always a few in the league.

Although a former and disgraced referee is pointing fingers at the NBA, it seems fans and viewers are still tuning in. It'll be interesting to see how ratings hold up for game four of a 3-1 series that should've been (a much more competitive) 2-2.

Still, don't count the Lakers completely out of it just yet. As the heavy favorite of sportswriters going into the finals, The Lakers could stage a Hollywood-style comeback of their own.

Polls Favor Lame Duck George W. Bush to Congress

On this Friday the 13th, The Irregular Times reminds everyone that there are 221 days remaining until lame duck President George W. leaves the White House.

According to RealClearPolitics, W's job approval rating is floating around 29%.

However, the Democrat-led 110th Congress gets the thumbs up from only 19% of polled Americans. 19%... Yeesh.

So... the two-party system... in need of a cog?

Katherine Heigl Breaks Up with her Emmy, but Brad Garrett Needs a Date

Katherine Heigl won an Emmy last year for her work on Grey's Anatomy. However, she's decided not to defend her title in the 2008 race.

In a statement released by her publicist on Wednesday (June 11), Heigl said, ''I did not feel that I was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination and in an effort to maintain the integrity of the academy organization'' she decided against competing. ''In addition, I did not want to potentially take away an opportunity from an actress who was given such materials.''

That sounds fair but a tad saccharine... her statement reads like a dig to the Grey's Anatomy writing staff. Maybe she's trying to wiggle her way out of her remaining contract, after all. Still, it's somewhat refreshing to see an award-winning actress openly acknowledge that her work has not been up-to-par.

In creepy-and-disturbing news from TV land, formerly respected "Everybody Loves Raymond" star actor Brad Garrett is desperately looking for a date.

Brad Garrett's looking for love in all the online places.

"An online dating show seemed like a logical choice given that I'm in the midst of a mid-life crisis, and adverse to pain," Garrett said. "And since I'm not picky about my choices, I hope women of all sizes, shapes and colors will be compelled to submit their videos."

Sad or genius? You decide.

UPDATE (6/13/08) - Who knew the Katherine Heigl comments would spark so much controversy?

Willie Randolph Hates Mets Fans

After witnessing Mike Pelfrey pitch the game of his life live at Shea Stadium, one thing is clear: Willie Randolph hates Mets fans.

Pelfrey pitched a gem of a game going into the 9th inning. In fact, when his turn came up in the batting order the inning prior to that, and he stepped up to the plate, the entire crowd went wild. It was exactly the kind of intensity the Mets organization had been looking to rangel in for the past few weeks. And then, Pelfrey gave up a single. With only a 3-0 lead and a runner on base, Willie Randolph decided to pull his almost perfect starter.

Just one problem... he brought in closer Billy Wagner, who got shelled in his previous outting -- surrendering up a 3-run homer and losing the game for the Mets. Well, Wagner gave up another 3-run homer, effectively erasing Pelfrey's great game.

Pulling the starter that late in the game would generally make sense, but Randolph had fans elated with the team on a 5-game losing streak. He needed them on his side and since Pelfrey was pitching his way into a number of easy ground ball plays all evening, it was poor managing not to give him a chance to get the double-play in motion. Especially when the first pitch Pelfrey threw in the 9th was a 93 mph fastball. When Wagner came in, he seemed practically annoyed that he was already called to the mound.

A game that should've been a quick 9-innings turned into 13, and a team that needed its bullpen to get some relief, got the complete opposite instead.

Randolph keeps playing it safe, and probably the only reason Pelfrey stayed in the game even in the 8th was because pitching coach Rick Peterson pleaded his case to Willie. Had Pelfrey given up another hit or a run on his own, at least fans would still have applauded his efforts. Instead, fans mustered up futher disdain towards Manager Willie Randolph -- and he needs that to change.

At this point, he's simply adding insult to injury, stemming all the way back to when he pulled the race card (Note to Randolph: Barack Obama is the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee for President). Someone should inform Willie that when the fans are on your side, you don't gut punch them. With him at the helm, the Mets won't win the World Series, let alone make the playoffs.

It's time for him to go.

Are Jamba Juice and Dunkin' Donuts Deliciously Bad for the Environment?

Many companies that promote health and/or environmental causes seem to be doing the environment quite an injustice in the eyes of those who believe climate change will destroy the world. If these organizations believe in global warming or at least in a healthy lifestyle, then obviously they should walk-the-walk... right?

Jamba Juice promotes their smoothies as natural, fresh, and healthy. In fact, most of their cups include Jambaism #5: "Your body is a temple. Littering is strictly prohibited." Not so much when it comes to the environment, though. A typical Jamba smoothie comes in a polystyrene cup, which has a recycling number of 6.

Another juicy offender... Naked Food Juice, which sells at wide array of stores for a whopping $3 or more per bottle. Each plastic bottle is marked with the recycling numbers 2 and 7, but it's confusing whether the 7 refers to the label, the cap or the bottle itself. Something there is definitely not recyclable.

And finally, there's the tastiness of Dunkin' Donuts coffee. Purchasing a medium size (or larger) pipping hot cup of java results in the use of another polystyrene cup at various locations.

The jury is still out on whether global warming can be stopped... in the meantime... cheers to good health?

As Tom Colicchio's Celebrity Rises, His Restaurants Suffer

Chef Tom Colicchio has become a television and foodie icon thanks to the hit Bravo series, "Top Chef." However, his focus on other ventures seems to have hurt his restaurants. In the past year, Colicchio's New York mainstay Craft lost its prestigious Michelin star rating because the reviewers felt it lacked consistency.

Trying to expand his culinary empire, Colicchio opened a West Coast version of the restaurant in Los Angeles. Word is that it's not nearly close to the former quality of its East Coast sister.

As a fan of Craftbar (the more casual take on Craft), a recent visit only provided for a mediocre dining experience that left a bad after taste. The short rib was texturally nice but bland on seasoning and, following a brief debate about it, the orecchiette was indeed too salty. On the other hand, the appetizers were fine -- despite a slight overkill of honey on top of the pecorino fondue.

The waitress also mentioned that Colicchio and guests (including fellow "Top Chef" judge, Padma Lakshmi) dined at Craftbar only a few hours earlier. Knowing that made the meal a further travesty since the chefs in the kitchen should've been more on their game. Or maybe Colicchio's palatte needs a refresher. There's also something to be said about losing some of your elite staff.

Either way, it's interesting to hear a celebrity chef dishout criticisms regarding the same mistakes his own restaurants make. Consistency should be important not only to the Michelin reviewers, but to everyone dining at a restaurant.

No wonder tables are often available for last-minute reservations at Craftbar.

Tangent - Living in the Laundry Room?

My building's laundry room is located in the basement. Unfortunately, the room is void of any ventilation. So, on a hot summer day like this one, I opted for gym shorts and a shirt. Proper laundry attire... or so I assumed. As I headed downstairs (empty travel bag in tow) to retrieve my clothing from the dryer, a fellow tenant -- a lady in her late 50s or early 60s -- also made her move to the laundry room. I figure she lives on the floor above mine since I heard the elevator close and then pass my stop before I could hit the button. I took the stairs.

I arrived in the lobby as the elevator opened. The lady headed to the basement just steps ahead of me. As is the case with most elevators, ours stops short of entering the depths of a non-ventilated hell. When we both got to the laundry room, my dryer still had 5 minutes remaining. Yes, poor planning. I put my bag down on a chair while trying to avoid the awkwardness that would otherwise have been me watching this lady empty her dryer.

Then... conversation ensued:

Lady: Do you live there?
Me: Do I live where?
(She points to a door in the laundry room that I believe leads to the garbage disposal / compactor area)
Lady: Do you live there?
Me: Oh... um... no.
(Hoping not to embarrass her, I let out a very faint chuckle.)
Lady: Sometimes there's a person that lives there, which technically is illegal.
Me: Ah.

I stayed quiet for the rest of the time... save a courteous "have a good night" as I left.

Apparently, someone occasionally lives with the the garbage compactor. He may or may not look like me.

Johnny Blue Jeans Has a Blog?

It's true. Johnny Blue Jeans himself, Mr. Michael Ian Black, has a blog. A more interesting aspect: it's not only about commenting on recent news for the sake of being funny. He seems genuinely interested in discussing real issues in addition -- of course -- to the expected comedic (amd maybe sometimes unintentionally so?) blog rant.

So far, some favorite entries include:

Hey Doritos, Get Your Shit Together - "They came out in 1966. Nobody else was mass-marketing tortilla chips back then, let alone flavoring the shit out of them. Doritos was the Google of its time, so far superior to any other chip out there that to put it in the same snack food category as, say, Lays Potato Chips, would be an insult to the term “snack food category.”

I Never Thought I Would Be the Guy Writing to His Congressman to Legalize Pot - Proof that known celebrities and media personalities actually do write letters to their government representatives. Blue Jeans power!

Not familiar with Michael Ian Black's work (or a child of the 80s, for that matter)? Check out the iconic Wet Hot American Summer. Or you can look online for recent episodes of "Reaper" where he did a 4-episode stint as a gay demon banished from heaven after being tricked by the devil. Yes... you read that correctly.

Get Shatner-fied

This morning, the Associated Press published a brilliant profile of William "Captain Kirk & Denny Crane" Shatner. Here's an excerpt, focusing on the three dimensional Shatner, for those who couldn't handle a full 4-5 pages of Shatnerific-ness:

Hate him or love him, rarely has an entertainer straddled giggles and glory so adeptly. And rarely does a performer have three distinct and separate careers, each building on the last:

- Shatner No. 1: I'm a Very Serious Actor. This one played tortured men in two "Twilight Zone" installments, a slick racist in 1962's "The Intruder" and created the role of the iconic Captain Kirk in the original "Star Trek." This Shatner was drama on steroids, and he endured through the 1980s with the tough-as-nails "Hooker" and a Captain-Kirk reprise in seven "Star Trek" movies.

- Shatner No. 2: I Laugh At Myself And You Can Too. Emerged around 1997.There were hints of this Shatner earlier -- well-played comedy in a couple "Trek" episodes and a deadpan cameo in "Airplane II." But Shatner really jumped into self-parody in a 1997 film called "Free Enterprise," in which he played a heightened version of himself. Then came his appearance as the alien leader on "Third Rock From The Sun" and his first Priceline ads, which cast him as a zeitgeisty, lounge-lizard joker.

"Something's happened out there," he told me a decade ago in the middle of this period. "People are perceiving me as funny, and they want funny things from me." He laughed all the way to the bank, and we marveled at his ability to reinvent himself.

- Shatner No. 3: We Laughed Until We Cried. The most sophisticated Shatner of all.

He's a television icon in a brand new prime of his career. If you don't watch "Boston Legal," then you might want to tune in for the final 13 episodes this Fall. Catch the Shatner fever while you can!

Federer Gets Nadal'd Again

In a few weeks, players from the ATP and WTA professional tennis circuits will descend on the All-England Club for (...cue trumpets...) The Championships Wimbledon.

Roger Federer, the top men's player in the world (and apparently for some people -- ever to exist), should be hungry and desperate for revenge after falling short once again at the soon-to-be-deemed Rafael Nadal Open in France. Nadal steamrolled Federer in the finals by a score of 6-1, 6-3, 6-0.

Ouch. Talk about a spanking!

This one should sting Federer for a while -- maybe leading all the way up to his own discussion of retirement. After all, there's certainly nothing fun about being embarrassed like that (has a #1 ever lost that badly?). As the ghosts of outstanding tennis careers past (calling Pete Sampras... paging Andre Agassi... Justine Henin, stop talking to Martina Hingis already!) were always quick to admit... once the fun goes out the window, it doesn't seem worth it.

A Federer win in England could revitalize the Swiss star. However, if Nadal's performance in last year's Wimbledon final is any indication, it won't be long before he crashes Roger's tea party, too.

"Change" Is Not a Trademark

The one thing everyone keeps referring to this year while discussing the upcoming Presidential election is change. "Change this!," "Change that!," "We need change!" The word is starting to sound like a broken record from Motown's golden age: "Change, change, change... change of fools." (Yes, that's a play on the Aretha Franklin hit single.)

American media continues to attribute this slogan to Senator Barack Obama and his notable rise to glory in the Democratic party. However, the media has failed in recognizing that there's been a self-declared 'candidate-of-change' every Presidential election since John F. Kennedy. Bill Clinton ran rampid with a similar catchphrase. Even lame duck George W. did! And still, various television outlets, news publications, and websites continue to credit Obama as the change messiah.

Today, Ted Johnson over at Wilshire & Washington (Variety's political blog) linked to a London Times discussion piece with Bob Dylan. Mr. The Times They are a-Changin' himself talks about his sentiments regarding Obama's campaign.

"Well, you know right now America is in a state of upheaval. Poverty is demoralising. You can't expect people to have the virtue of purity when they are poor," said Dylan.

"But we've got this guy out there now who is redefining the nature of politics from the ground up... Barack Obama."

"He's redefining what a politician is, so we'll have to see how things play out. Am I hopeful? Yes, I'm hopeful that things might change. Some things are going to have to."

Fortunately, the article gives some background on Dylan's song-of-the-moment, especially important for those unaware of the circumstances that led the musician to pen this classic hit. A ditty from the 60's regaining prominance in the new millenium? It's only fitting since the country has obviously reverted back to an era of segregation, domestication and war. Just remember: in those days you had to be a 'free-thinking hippie' or a 'by the book conservative'... choose wisely.

A Formulaic Season of "Top Chef"

Part one of Top Chef: Chicago's season finale further proved a point that the show may be coming overly formulaic. Granted, I had not yet joined the bandwagon until Season 3 (Top Chef: Miami). However, season 4 is turning into a replay of the Miami-based season, and though I'll tune in to find out who becomes the new Top Chef champion (likely a woman since one has never won) next Wednesday, I'm not craving another helping of Bravo's hit cooking show.

Here are a couple of similarities (and turn-offs) of Top Chef: Miami and Top Chef: Chicago --

Restaurant Wars - Season 4 appeared to kick it up a notch with an extended episode entitled "Wedding Wars," where the chefs split into two teams to cater a wedding. Brilliant idea!!! Then, the series backtracked two episodes later with the return of "Restaurant Wars." Just like the previous season, the eliminated contestant was potentially one of the top 2 or 3 chefs remaining, but ended up having a terrible week in the "executive chef" position. Now, it's understandable that when a person takes charge and his team fails, then he should be the one to suffer. However, the judges seem to lack complete accountability in these decisions. There's even a statement during the closing credits that says the producers have the final say on who wins and who is sent home. Therefore, ignoring previous challenges and the talent shown by all would-be "eliminees" each week is simply unacceptable. The producers choose to shock instead of taking the competition seriously, which in turn creates viewer hatred for particular contestants.

Finale, Part 1 - Just like the Restaurant Wars debacle, producers like to surprise viewers by ignoring all previous challenges that have brought the final four to the finale. Unacceptable. Whether or not you agree with the reasons for someone getting booted in a particular episode, there is always the "three strikes and you're out" rule. Someone who has consistantly been in the bottom 2-3 and always makes mistakes on simple tasks is clearly NOT a "Top Chef." Even when Season 3's Dale arrived at the finale with his game face on, he should've received further scrutiny based on his previous performances (granted, he actually WON the elimination challenge). Still, this show is about finding the "Top Chef" in a group. There's a difference between one or two bad performances and five or more in one season. Also, if someone has consistantly been targeted by the judges as one of the "least favorite" and his/her ego only continues to grow, it's time to put that person in his/her place.

Unfortunately, "Top Chef" is quickly falling into the rut that most reality shows hit. Until reality TV raises its standards and stops rewarding mediocrity (American Idol? America's Got Talent?), it'll never achieve greatness. It's high time for reality competition producers to get creative. There's a reason The Amazing Race always wins the Reality Competition Emmy Award.

UPDATE (6/6): The Season Pass blog over at Variety (*spoiler alert*) seems utterly disappointed, too.

The Audacity of Tim Russert

Apparently, Tim Russert all of a sudden remembered what his role as a journalist and political pundit actually is. While on MSNBC last night with fellow talking head Chris Matthews, Russert openly discussed the role journalists can play in the upcoming general election between Barack Obama and John McCain (lest we forget Ralph Nader, Bob Barr, et al). The operative word obviously being "can."

Russert's full quote:

"But in an interesting way, based on our previous conversation, it's a role I think the media can play, in really trying to keep pushing this back to this big debate on big issues and not get caught up in a lot of this minor skirmishing that goes on and videotape that gets released where we just run wild with it and sit back and say, what happened? Why did we not cover some of these big differences like Iraq, like Iran, like negotiating around the world, like health care?"

Excellent questions, Timothy. In the words of Jon Stewart: "Shame on you!"

In all honesty though, it's absolutely time that the people who head discussion shows start acting as the moderators they're supposed to be and ask the questions the public expects them to ask. It's sad to think that The Daily Show and The Colbert Report may soon be the only places left to turn. At least, they're jokingly bias as opposed to inherently so.

Dunk'd Donuts

There's no denying that Keith Olbermann is as liberally biased as Sean Hannity is conservative. In fact, that could turn out to be the best cagematch concept ever (paging: CBS). However, Olbermann hit the bulls-eye on the recent Dunkin' Donuts / Rachael Ray commercial scandal, if you can even call it that.

"They were as weak of their decaf," Olbermann said.

An international conglomerate caved to pressure from a right-wing extremist blogger, Michelle Malkin? Not to mention, Ms. Malkin had her facts mistaken. That's probably because she feared people would misread the company's name as Malkin' Donuts and then assume it was actually Ms. Malkin wearing the scarf in the ad.

Still, it's absurd that a company like Dunkin' Donuts would be so quick to take a minimal, but still unjustifiable financial hit in the form of a wasted commercial because people continue to overreact while being misinformed.

More absurd? Olbermann calls for a boycott of the double-D. Anyone would be crazy to forgo coffee that delicious.

Linguistic Logistics

People from different cultural backgrounds absolutely have a right to maintain their heritage no matter where they live. When it comes to the United States, the country truly is a "melting pot." It's an aspect that makes the U.S. great -- the ability to welcome people from all over the globe.

That being said, we're stuck at a crossroads when it comes to achieving real, clear unity. The two major political parties in this country are relatively split on the issue of the U.S. declaring an official language. Democrats like Nobel Prize winner Al Gore believe that putting legal statutes in place would be divisive and lead to further segregation. However, the lack of communication between various cultures living as one nation is, in a large part, due to our literal inability to talk to each other.

Some find it interesting, and possibly appalling, that Arnold Schwarzenegger is on the advisory board of U.S. English, an organization which supports making English the country's official language. Why, exactly?

The Governator is a perfect example of a naturalized citizen learning English (albeit speaking imperfectly) and becoming a major player on the political field. He did not abandon his heritage or his first language -- and it would be inappropriate for someone to feel that he should do so. However, he can now communicate with and reach out to the citizens of this country on multiple levels. Not only as a modern-day immigrant who achieved the so-called American dream, but as the Governor of California, one of the largest states in the U.S.

Language barriers only lead to further segregation because there's no sense of urgency for people to leave their own communities or interact with "outsiders." Some locales have street signs in alternate languages to appease people who have yet to learn English. This is simply unacceptable on multiple levels. That form of appeasement allows segregation to fester. The government should set English as a standard and then fund programs to help immigrants learn the language. It's not that they need to speak it perfectly, but a general understanding is important to making positive change happen.