Hey everyone -- A few people have asked me what the deal is ("The Jerc Store is really hurting"), so I wanted to let you know that yes, I'm still alive and I will soon return to posting at the rate I had been.
The good news is that the government is giving me a lot of "free money" in about two weeks: Because I didn't get a stimulus check last year (for whatever BS reason), I am apparently getting one this year on top of my tax return -- whoo hoo! -- and that means it's time to start shopping around for a new laptop!
Just a reminder, my friends: Don't forget to set your clocks back!
Because it's been so long since my last post, I decided to combine the moderately recent passing of a talented journalist with the very recent passing of a memorable comedian.LOS ANGELES (AP) — George Carlin, the dean of counterculture comedians whose biting insights on life and language were immortalized in his "Seven Words You Can Never Say On TV" routine, died Sunday. He was 71.Carlin, who had a history of heart trouble, went into St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica complaining of chest pain and died of heart failure later that evening, said his publicist, Jeff Abraham. He had performed as recently as last weekend at the Orleans Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas.
Carlin constantly breached the accepted boundaries of comedy and language, particularly with his routine on the "Seven Words" — all of which are taboo on broadcast TV to this day.
When he uttered all seven at a show in Milwaukee in 1972, he was arrested on charges of disturbing the peace, freed on $150 bail and exonerated when a Wisconsin judge dismissed the case, saying it was indecent but citing free speech and the lack of any disturbance.
The words were later played on a New York radio station, resulting in a 1978 Supreme Court ruling upholding the government's authority to sanction stations for broadcasting offensive language during hours when children might be listening.
Despite his reputation as unapologetically irreverent, Carlin was a television staple through the decades, serving as host of the "Saturday Night Live" debut in 1975 — noting on his Web site that he was "loaded on cocaine all week long" — and appearing some 130 times on "The Tonight Show."
He produced 23 comedy albums, 14 HBO specials, three books, a few TV shows and appeared in several movies, from his own comedy specials to "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" in 1989 — a testament to his range from cerebral satire and cultural commentary to downright silliness (sometimes hitting all points in one stroke).
Carlin won four Grammy Awards for best spoken comedy album and was nominated for five Emmys. Last week, it was announced that Carlin was being awarded the 11th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, which will be presented Nov. 10 in Washington and broadcast on PBS.
Good news for those of you expecting some free money from the government: It's on its way a few days early! whoo!
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have launched a set of animated holiday e-cards to promote mockery and malevolence of animal-abusing celebrities, featuring--who else? Michael Vick.
Hairy Kate and Trashley Trollson." The twins scream when they're flying through the air and return to a dancing position once you've stopped shaking, but then randomly some old man stumbles by and throws up on them, and they say, "How rude!" Any old school Full House reference gets an A in my book, whether the card is lame or not.
2007's Most Fascinating Person, according to Barbara Walters.
Included in those criminals is Jesse Timmendequas, the convicted sex offender who raped and murdered 7-year-old Megan Kanka more than 10 years ago. That case lead to "Megan's Law," which requires neighbors to be alerted when a sex offender moves into the neighborhood.
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