NewscomaGot A Two-Pack Habit And A Motel Tan

As the stomach churns.

It’s like a soap opera. I’ve always thought that was why Nascar is so popular as well.

Boy Soap Operas.

Some background on Tuesday night’s primary coverage dust up between MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough and David Gregory:

The twosome “have never” gotten along, says a reputable source. A year ago, Gregory bad mouthed Scarborough to somebody who, unbeknownst to Gregory, was a Scarborough friend/fan. It can be assumed the dis made its way back to Scarborough, who found reason to battle against his fellow newsie.

For some reason, I know this may shock you, I don’t care yet I’m amused nonetheless.

I love me some John Waters.

Johnny Knoxville and Parker Posey are attached to star in John Waters’ Christmas film “Fruitcake.”

The plot is officially under wraps but is said to center on the title character, a boy named after his favorite dessert. He runs away from home during the holidays after he and his parents are caught shoplifting meat, then meets up with a runaway girl raised by two gay men and searching for her birth mother.

Shoplifting meat? Groovy.

Josh Brolin is going to play George Bush in the new Oliver Stone film.

He’s got the grimace down, I’ll give him that.

Just watching. Always watching.

“Some of us oppose creating a new entitlement program in an emergency spending bill, whether it’s butchers, bakers or candlestick-makers,” said Rep. John Tanner (D-Tenn.), a founding member of the Blue Dog Coalition who serves on the House leadership team as a deputy whip.

The so-called GI Bill of Rights, authored by Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.), would give veterans money for college and cost $720 million in its first two years. But critics say that could grow to billions in future years.

House Democratic leaders attached it to the supplemental spending bill figuring Bush wouldn’t dare veto veterans’ benefits. If he did, Republicans would pay a steep political cost.

But that calculation is now causing heartburn for Blue Dogs, the same members who have generally supported war funding. The fiscally conservative coalition is split. Some members are willing to block the bill because “pay-as-you-go” budgetary rules — offsetting new spending with spending cuts or increased taxes — have been ignored one too many times. Others, like Rep. John Barrow (D-Ga.), don’t want to oppose benefits for veterans.

“It’s a cost of the war,” Barrow said.

Just call me a political voyeur.

Related.

Mike has this:

According to the National Priorities Project, the Iraq War has cost the State of Tennessee over $8 billion ($1 billion = $1000 million). President Bush’s new funding request for 08-09 will cost the Volunteer State over $2 billion, which according to NPP would buy Tennessee 21,714 afforable housing units, 41,906 elementary school teachers, or health care coverage for 435,808 adults.

I shake my head and sigh deeply. Here’s the calculator

So I ran District 8 ( Congressman John Tanner) and this is what I found:

Taxpayers in Congressional District 8 (Tanner) will pay $805.7 million for total Iraq war spending approved to date. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:

• 168,170 People with Health Care for One Year
• 596,557 Homes with Renewable Electricity for One Year
  22,381 Public Safety Officers for One year
• 15,078 Music and Arts Teachers for One Year
• 143,314 Scholarships for University Students for One Year
• 62 New Elementary Schools
• 8,379 Affordable Housing Units
• 281,606 Children with Health Care for One Year
• 111,920 Head Start Places for Children for One Year
• 16,171 Elementary School Teachers for One Year

In Tennessee, Gov. Phil Bredesen spoke yesterday about the elimination of a little more than 2000 jobs.

Jeez.

I’m speechless and sort of weirded out about this which is happening to the county next to mine.

Here’s some background, a show I’ve never heard of until yesterday called “Gone Country” which is going to be filming in Paris Saturday.

A demolition derby, mind you, featuring these people, from the press release, mind you:

• Jermaine Jackson, one of Michael Jackson’s older brothers who was a big part of the Jackson 5’s success in the early 1970s and has had a sterling career himself as a solo performer.

• Sebastian Bach, former lead singer of the rock group Skid Row, which had the hits “18 & Life” and “I Remember You” in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

• Irene Cara, a singer/actress who starred in the movie “Fame” and later sang the song “What A Feeling,” from the movie “Flashdance.”

• Mikalah Gordon, a former finalist on “American Idol.”

• Chris Kirkpatrick, a former member of the boy band ’NSync.

• Lorenzo Lamas, an actor who starred in “Falcon Crest” and recently in the soap opera “The Bold and The Beautiful.”

• Sean Young, an actress who has been in many films, including “No Way Out,” “Blade Runner,” and “Ace Ventura, Pet Detective.”

So, they send the presser out and ask for people to attend so they can have all that reality in reality television and screaming fans for these folks. I had to look two of ‘em up cause I didn’t know who they were.

A demolition derby? Listen, I get that they want to do the big stereotype thing and all, but I’ve lived a good portion of my life in rural America and I’ve never been to a demolition derby.

I have been to lawnmower races, but that’s a different thing indeed.

Consider this a shout out to Lesley and Lynnster who will most likely either enjoy this or be utterly appalled.