Best wishes to all Dullard-kind for a peaceful and prosperous new year.

LISTS: Worst people of 2007

The Dickheads of the Year, according to Bill Maher. Ron Paul escaped his wrath.

Enough of Ron Paul already

My state isn't one of those with an early primary, so campaigning and advertising have been minimal. The only visible presence is for Ron Paul, whose supporters are littering our highways with homemade signs.

The first batch suggested that drivers "Google Ron Paul." Thanks, but no thanks. The latest batch say "Paul Revolution" with a few key letters reversed and in red to spell out "love" backward. Nothing says romance like an elderly libertarian, after all.

Paul actually has some sensible ideas, such as opposition to the Iraq war. But he has plenty of nutty ones, too, that are not worth getting into here. (Read this for starters and here for more.)

What's truly noteworthy about Paul is the attitude of his supporters. They're an irritable lot, always looking for a slight against their man — mostly perceived, a handful real. They also find big victories in things that are insignificant to the rest of us. For example, Paul supporters were recently worked up about the launch of the Ron Paul blimp. Yes, by God, a dirigible will change the face of this race. And of course, Paul people love to point to the Internet as evidence of a wave of support. They've raised millions of dollars there and even plan a pro-Paul march across the World of Warcraft.

Well, just because something looks like a phenomenon on the Internet doesn't mean it will do well in the real world. I predict that Paul's candidacy will flop at the polls the way "Snakes on a Plane" did at the box office. Or, to use the blimp metaphor, Paul will go over like a lead balloon.

End of week roundup

Clinton launches Obama attack Web sites, criticizes his voting record. Girlfriend, do not go there. Obama got the one vote right you still haven't repudiated: going to war with a country that didn't attack us on 9/11.

The Lakota are ending all treaties with the US, essentially seceding. Let me know how that works out, fellas. I just may join you.

Blue-skinned freak thinks he'll be more accepted in California than Oregon. He won't.

Some folks don't get the Blade Runner thing. I'll admit the "tears in rain" thing is right on the border of brilliant and stupid, but I think it works.

Have a great Festivus!

Back in the USSR

The bickering on "news shows" such as "Hannity & Colmes" isn't usually worth bothering with. The idiocy there is self-apparent. But this exchange earlier this week is so moronic that it demands our attention to set things straight.

The topic is Time magazine's choice for Person of the Year, Vladimir Putin of Russia. The talking heads on Fox News are predictably outraged. The comments of the radio-talk show host on the panel are especially stupid and ill-informed.

Their criticism of the selection is two-fold:

• Time is honoring a bad man.
• Time is showing its liberal bias.

Here's why these accusations are ridiculous:

The Person of the Year is not like the Nobel Peace Prize or a lifetime achievement award. It may go to the virtuous or the villainous. What matters is impact, as the magazine explains this way:

"Time's Person of the Year is not and never has been an honor. It is not an endorsement. It is not a popularity contest. At its best, it is a clear-eyed recognition of the world as it is and of the most powerful individuals and forces shaping that world — for better or for worse. It is ultimately about leadership — bold, earth-changing leadership."

Therefore, the magazine was not lionizing Putin with this selection. It was simply saying that he had the most impact on the world this year.

As for liberal bias, a review of Time's selections over the years shows this is also an ignorant assertion. (See 'em all here.) Here are a few:

• George W. Bush (twice)
• Ronald Reagan (twice)
• George H.W. Bush
• Newt Gingrich
• Richard Nixon

Plenty of conservatives have been "honored." In addition, Putin is hardly a liberal himself. He's an autocratic control-freak who does not tolerate dissent. He's "the decider." The magazine's profile of Putin makes this clear.

So if anyone tries to tell you that the "liberal media" is honoring one of its own, you'll know better.

Meet the Zeppelin!

The "Beatles" play "Stairway To Heaven." (Or is it the Knack?) I like this version better than the original. (Via Boing Boing.)

It's too bad she won't live ...

... But then again, who does?

NPR interviews director Ridley Scott on the occasion of the DVD release of "Blade Runner: Final Cut." (Previous post here.)

You can see the different endings of the 1982 and 1992 versions there too, or just watch the trailer here:



I love the Roy Baty howl at the end.

Garfield Minus Garfield

Garfield's a pretty funny strip, as long as Garfield's not in it.

Pam Anderson available again

Good news for Borat and all you Dullards hoping to someday wed Pam Anderson: She just filed for divorce from hubbie #3.

Here's the clip of Borat falling in love with Pam and another one later in the movie in which he finally meets the love of his life. (Do we have to tell you that Borat is NSFW?)

Related post here.

UPDATE: Well, maybe not so fast. Pam may break Borat's heart yet again.

Madonna, John Cougar to be in Hall of Fame

The inductees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have been announced.

Previous post here.

Songs in the Keyes of failure

Just when I had nearly forgotten about him, Alan Keyes squirmed out of the woodwork and appeared in a GOP debate in Iowa that was broadcast by CNN, MSNBC and Fox News. I didn't even know Keyes was (again) running for president. Alas, there he was on the stage with the front-runners (Giluliani, Romney and Huckabee. Yes, Huckabee!) and also-rans (McCain and some other guys).

As usual, Keyes was a belligerent blowhard, pestering the moderator for more questions and more time as seen in this clip. And when given time, he didn't squarely address the topic at hand, instead offering his creepy vision of a theocratic America.

Keyes is also humorless. Here's his woefully unfunny punchline regarding global warming:

"I think the most important emission we need to control is the hot air emission of politicians who pretend one thing and don't deliver."

Here is a clip of that part of the debate. And here's some more about Keyes and why he is the nuttiest candidate to ever get significant airtime:

• Likes to be called ambassador, but only represented the United States under that title at a mid-level position at the United Nations for a couple of years in the 1980s.

• Faced questions about unpaid campaign debts and his own compensation.

• Called homosexuality "selfish hedonism" and then watched his daughter come out as an anarchist lesbian.

• Hosted a short-lived show on MSNBC, the ironically titled "Alan Keyes Is Making Sense."

• Appeared in the Borat movie, but not even Sacha Baron Cohen could make him funny.

• Tried to glom on to controversies such as the Ten Commandments monument in Alabama and the Terry Schiavo case.

• Was soundly defeated in races for the U.S. Senate in Maryland in 1988 and 1992.

• Was soundly defeated in races for president in 1996 and 2000.

• Was soundly defeated in a race for U.S. Senate in Illinois in 2004. Refused to congratulate the winner, Barack Obama, because doing so would somehow encourage evil.

In short, Alan Keyes is a loser. The Republicans would be wise to make sure he doesn't appear at any more debates. I'd love to see him there, because it increases the lunatic factor.

O'Reilly book panned

This take on the latest Bill O'Reilly "for kids" book is almost as fun to read as these reviews for "Battlefield Earth" back in 2000.

It's time he had some time alone

President Bush "covers" R.E.M. And he feels fine.

Get smart

The Smart car is coming to America next year. We saw these little cars during a trip to Montreal in 2006. Our hotelier told us how he and his girlfriend drove from Canada to Miami in one, to the amusement of American truckers on Interstate 95.

Seriously, people

Listen to this:



It's my favorite song of 2007, edging out "Hey There Delilah" and "1, 2, 3, 4" by... oh, a mile.

Go, Speed Racer! Go!

The trailer for the "Speed Racer" movie is out. It has a unique color palette, but it's hard to tell whether this is serious or camp. At least the Wachowski brothers are keeping Chim-Chim in the mix.

Thank you, Internets

Cat in zero-gravity:

The Tomorrow factor

Tom Tomorrow takes on Bill O'Reilly. Read the comic or watch Keith Olbermann read it.