Last night, Stephen King and John Mellencamp were on Letterman to promote their musical “Ghost Brothers of Darkland County.” It was EPIC. Ken even stayed up late to watch it, and watching it again today, I was cracking up all over again. (I texted my sister about it today, and she was like, “Why didn’t you text me?!” Agh! I’m sorry, Di! haha) Three of my favorite entertainers in their respective fields, all gathered together and talking. And two of them Hoosiers! It was a freakin’ Bethgasm. I’ve read every Stephen King book; I’ve been to see Mellencamp numerous times over the years; I’ve watched Letterman since his daytime show when I was in college...and we are both Ball State alum! Seeing these three interact was priceless. I was thinking about why it delighted me so much, and why I love these three guys. I told Ken that I think it’s because they are all at the point where they have this “fuck you” attitude. Like, “We are who we are, and if you don’t like it, well, fuck you!” I kind of like that. I like it a lot. They all seem to have a rapport that goes beyond casual friendship. I love that feeling when you really connect with someone...someone who “gets” you and has the same weird sense of humor that you have. I am fortunate to have several people like that in my life, including my hubby! The musical is coming to our fair town, and I’m super excited to be going to it and to have front row seats! I’m going to order the CD soon so I can get familiar with the songs. Seeing that interview last night made me even more excited to go. I think it’s going to be dark and creepy and brooding...right up my alley! The interview takes place during about the first nine minutes of this video. Watch soon, before CBS yanks it from YouTube!
Hey, I forgot to tell you about our Oktoberfest party! We enjoyed ourselves, and I thoroughly loved eating some sauerkraut. I put some on top of my brat with some mustard, and then had a little on the side. Mmm. I have to say that their cole slaw is also mighty tasty...they put a little dill in it.
The place was packed, and I told Ken that they've hit on a very good idea with their Mug Club. It keeps people coming back, and they really do have good deals on drinks and food. They also had a DJ there from one of the local classic rock stations, and they played some rock trivia for prizes. I told Ken that next time we're sitting by the DJ so we can play! Two tables played against each other. Five questions, worth two points each, but only one point if you had to go to multiple choice options. With the first table's questions, I got ten out of ten. With the second table's, I got nine out of ten (the question was about a trio out of Flint, Michigan, and I had to hear the list to know that it was Grand Funk Railroad). I am a rock and roll trivia juggernaut! Haha!
The new Oktoberfest beer was okay, but I prefer my Duke of Wellington India Pale Ale. Apparently I prefer hoppy beers, with citrus tones and quite a bit of bitterness. Who knew? I'm not sure what other beers are like that, but I know I really like Blue Moon, and Duke of Wellington reminds of that. We got our Growlers--grrrrr!--refilled, mine with Duke of Wellington and this time Ken tried the Three-Headed Monster, a blend of Stout, Bock, and I think Duke of Wellington (he can correct me if I'm wrong).
And no, I didn't yodel, although it was tempting.
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Change of subject...although I might need a drink after writing about this.
You've probably all heard that Sarah Palin's book is coming out in November. The title is to be Going Rogue: An American Life. ::giggle::
I'm sorry, but I can't hear "goin' rogue" without thinking of SNL's excellent skit, with Tina Fey as Palin and the real John McCain appearing on QVC. When "Sarah" breaks away and whispers, "Okay, I'm goin' rogue here!" it just cracks me up! That part happens about three and a half minutes into the skit.
I think I'm going to start using that phrase once in a while. If I do something out of my ordinary routine, I'm going to announce, "Hey, I'm goin' rogue here!" And if Ken tries to get all bossy with me and tells me what to do--he's such a tyrant, after all!--I'll say, "I'm goin' rogue here and not doing what you tell me! Because I'm a maverick!"
No, I won't be buying "her" book. I don't believe I'll check it out from the library, either. I have plenty of good books to read, and if her Facebook updates are any indication, I would not find any edification or words of wisdom there. I'll be content to find excerpts online and ridicule discuss them here. I'll give you fair warning before I do any of that, so if you don't want to read it, you can click your way right out of it. (Now would be one of those warnings.) I can tell you that I'm really looking forward to it, though, and that I'm expecting plenty of comedy fodder. I'll be like a kid in a candy store! A candy store filled with grizzly bear skins and big ol' king crabs on the shelves, wolf pelt evening wraps and limited edition prints of the list of books Sarah thinks should have been banned from the Wasilla County Library. A store with designer eyeglasses frames and a makeup counter that stocks every shade of lipstick known! A magical place with archival photos of BD and AD (Before Drilling and After Drilling) ANWR. A place where we can return to an America that never really existed, a place where men were men and the women ran for office and milked it for all they could. A place where the Constitution is followed as written, with none of those pesky Amendments that allowed women and blacks to vote. A place that (for a small fee) will rid you of the influences of witchcraft and purify your soul!
Ohhhh, yeah! I am delighted! Christmas is coming early at Nutwood!
David Letterman has already mined some comedy gold with this Top Ten List. Paul has a great line in here, but what this clip doesn't show is that at the end, when they're talking about Palin appearing on his show to promote her book [cue the look from Dave], an assistant tells him she's going to be there on the twelfth. Dave says, "Really? The twelfth of what?" Of course, the answer is, "The twelfth of NEVER!"
I'm reluctant to write about this Letterman/Palin brouhaha, because I see it as a no-win situation. Those who found the remarks offensive will still find them offensive; those who thought they were funny will still find them funny. I'm not going to change anyone's mind either way, and that is not my intention. However, you all know that I'm a Letterman fan (we're fellow Ball State alum), and I'm a Palin...not-fan, shall we say...so I can't really pass up the opportunity to write about this little "feud." I've made no secret of my dislike for Palin, so this will undoubtedly be biased. Fair warning has been issued.
I won't do any background, because unless you live under a rock, you know about the jokes he made, and the Palins' response to them. I didn’t think that the jokes were particularly funny. When I heard them, I sort of groaned and gave a horrified chuckle, a sort of, "Oh, Dave, you so baaaaad" kind of thing, a "Did he really say that?" response. The joke was pretty tasteless, but it was designed to shock. Many times, that is the goal, especially with late night shows and comedians.
The Palins responded with a statement that said it was tasteless to talk about their 14-year-old daughter that way (getting knocked up). Dave responded with an admission that the jokes were in poor taste, but that many of his jokes are. He became a little more serious when he said that the joke was obviously intended to mean the 18-year-old daughter, and that he would never make jokes about harming or abusing a 14-year-old. That probably should have been the end of it, but the Palins weren't done. Todd issued a statement condemning Letterman for joking about "raping" his daughter, and a Palin spokesperson issued a statement that the Palins would not be appearing on Dave's show, and that it would probably be best to "keep Willow [the 14-year-old] away from him." This morning, Gov. Palin appeared on the Today Show and when asked about that statement--did they really mean to imply that Letterman is a child molester?--she said, "Take it however you want to take it." She went on to say that family should be off-limits, that his comments were degrading to young girls, and equated his attitude with being part of the reason young girls today have low self-esteem.
Here's my take on it. Strictly my opinion. I don't expect everyone else to agree, and as I've already warned you, I'm biased anyway.
Dave is a talk show host and a comedian. It was a joke. It was in poor taste, which he admitted, but it was still a joke.
It was obviously meant in reference to the 18-year-old, Bristol. You know...the one who got knocked up? Ma and Pa Palin, out here in "mainstream America," we still use that phrase to describe what happens when teenagers, like your eldest daughter, get pregnant out of wedlock. It may be crude, but it's commonly used.
Twisting the joke into Dave talking about "raping their daughter" is pretty ridiculous. Implying that Dave is a child molester goes too far, as Dave's joke probably did. However, branding someone as a child molester is a very serious charge. By the way, if they're so concerned about the crime of rape, perhaps Gov. Palin should address the problems in her own state, which has the highest rate of rape in the country, and help the victims rather than charging them for the rape kits used in the investigation of the crime. A wee suggestion.
Why isn't anyone defending A Rod for doing the hypothetical rapin'? Just askin'.
Mama Grizzly can talk all she wants about family being off-limits, but she was the one who paraded the whole fam damily onstage during the primaries and election, including the then-fiancé of the knocked up Bristol. Levi looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there, holding hands with his preggers GF, in front of the entire country, but you and the campaign wanted him there.
I don't think Dave's stupid joke or any attitude behind it is the reason for low self-esteem among young girls. I would place the blame more on a less-than-ideal family life in which girls are not raised to be strong in their sense of self-worth or self-confidence, or on the media which promotes their own almost-unattainable ideal of beauty, or on teen singers who are overly sexualized for their age and make young girls want to look just like them. But that's just me. I don't think you can pin that one on Dave.
You've probably all guessed that I have strong feelings about women's rights. I suppose Limbaugh might call me a Feminazi. I'm far from militant and/or shrill about it, though. I was raised to believe that I could do anything I wanted to do, unimpeded by my gender. I never questioned whether or not I would be allowed to do something because I'm female. I just assumed that I would do it, and that's how I've lived my life. My point is that even feeling as strongly as I do about such things, I didn't find Letterman's jokes to be misogynistic or indicative of a broader attitude of anti-feminism. It's just reading too much into a stupid joke.
This whole mess should have stopped after Dave admitted that the jokes were in poor taste. The Palins chose to escalate it and keep the story afloat. It's good publicity for them, although I think it may have backfired a bit when they implied that Dave was talking about raping their daughter, and then that he shouldn't be around 14-year-old girls. Frankly, it's also good publicity for Dave. In that regard, maybe it's a win for each of them, and an irritant for the rest of us. As always, I remain unimpressed by the Palins in any way, shape, or form, and if I may be so blunt, I would use the phrase "media whores." SSIS!
First on the list is our friend Marty of Heard at Starbucks. His father has had a heart attack, and Marty has flown to the East coast to be with him and their family. Marty is a great guy, so I'm guessing that his Dad is all that and a bag of chips. Please say a prayer for him, and if you like, stop by and give Marty some positive thoughts.
A big thank you to Hollie of Life in a Small Town, who has given me a "Friends" award. The award states "These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbon of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight more and include the cleverly written text into the body of your awards." I don't think my blog has ever been called "exceedingly charming" before, but I kinda like it! Thank you very much, Hollie. I'm going to break with tradition and not award this to any blog in particular. If I read you, you know I'm doing so for a reason, so grab this award for yourself.
I've written before about our lake effect snow in our area. It can sometimes be an extremely narrow band of snow, and we saw a prime example of that last night. Although we got a little snow at Nutwood, it wasn't anything major, and I was able to get out and about today. But not too far to the west of us, they were getting dumped on, and the Doppler picture was one of the most dramatic examples of lake effect I've seen. If the winds have shifted just a bit to the east, we would have been the "dumpees!"
When I was out today, I stocked up on bird food. Yikes! Ken just might have a cow (if not a cowbird)! Well, I haven't bought any for a while, and I'm getting ready for the Great Backyard Bird Count next weekend. I'll write more about it next week. I bought a bag of thistle seed to put in the feeder that Ken got me for Christmas (what's the point of having a feeder if you don't fill it, right?), and MAN, that stuff is expensive. I did get a deal on suet cakes, though--if you can find a 10-pack, it's worth it, because they were about 75 cents as opposed to $1.25 or thereabouts.
Did anyone see Rod Blagojevich on Letterman last night? Ken even stayed up for it. As Dave put it, and asked Blago, "Really...why ARE you here?" Blagojevich was smarmy, seemed a little arrogant (he said that a joke Dave had just made wasn't all that funny), and ultimately, clueless. He really seems to think that he's going to get people on his side by doing all these shows, and did not seem to pick up on the bad vibes coming from Dave and from the audience. Hell, I could feel it sitting here at home! I think that for much of the interview, I was sitting here with my mouth hanging open. I've said it before...the guy has got some brass balls. He's in for a rude awakening when he goes up on federal charges.
I was pretty disappointed to hear that Tom Daschle took himself out of the HHS cabinet position, but I was more disappointed that he was stupid enough to not pay taxes. What is up with these people? I was happy to see that Pres. Obama said in an interview "I screwed up" and took responsibility for it, although he wasn't the one who wasn't paying his taxes. I hope this sends a message to all politicians out there, that such behavior will not be tolerated. As the President said, there are not separate standards for politicians and for working people. Daschle had a chance for a Cabinet position, but he screwed it up, and he can just think on that for a while.
I'm certainly not condoning such behavior, and I really hope Pres. Obama can clean things up. If any of you are thinking that all these damn libby Dems are corrupt and don't pay their taxes, your logic is faulty. Obviously, Pres. Obama is nominating more Democrats, so there is going to be a greater chance that a Democrat will be tagged, simply due to numbers. Bad behavior is not a partisan domain. Spiro Agnew had to resign as Vice-President because of tax evasion, and let's not forget those stellar examples of Republican rectitude, Ted Stevens and Randy "Duke" Cunningham.
Since tonight is the season premiere of "30 Rock" (Yippee! I know Mark is happy, too!), I thought I'd share this clip from Letterman last night. Alec Baldwin was the guest, and the guy is one of our favorites. I love Tina Fey, but I think Baldwin makes the show. I watched this last night when it aired, and I was cracking up!
Last night, Stephen King and John Mellencamp were on Letterman to promote their musical “Ghost Brothers of Darkland County.” 
