Archive for December, 2008

HOWARD MEGDAL: Sarah Palin is easily the frontrunner for the 2012 Republican nomination. In fact, it’s hard to imagine any of the current names in Republican presidential politics taking it from her—and Republicans normally go with whoever is next in line. [MORE]

DAVE TOMAR: Sure, some Republican voters have fond memories of Palin. She was so candidly incapable of answering questions. She was so clearly reading Karl Rove’s talking-points memos in the wrong order. But she was the sexy sparkplug that McCain so desperately needed. Honestly though, next to McCain, Abe Vigoda has sex appeal. [MORE]

HOWARD MEGDAL: But some line was crossed for me by the way the Knicks have handled this rebuild. They’ve managed to do more than just make the next two years about reconstructing the roster. They’ve made the next two years utterly irrelevant. [MORE]

LUCAS O’NEILL: Did the Knicks really do anything wrong by essentially admitting they are not planning on winning this season (or next) but are willing to do what it takes to enter the LeBron sweepstakes in two years? Not hardly. [MORE]

JILLIAN LOVEJOY LOWERY: When Oprah Winfrey announces a new book club pick, and her dedicated masses head out to their local book seller to purchase it that very day, I can’t help but liken them to lemmings and wonder how, exactly, Oprah has managed to make herself the Authority on All Things Literary. [MORE]

HOWARD MEGDAL:I think it misses the point, honestly, to complain about the books chosen by Oprah Winfrey, a stamp that allows authors the financial windfall to write what they please for life. It would be a similar complaint to go after the tooth fairy because he usually doles out singles or Santa Claus because he didn’t get to the Jewish kids. [MORE]

LUCAS O’NEILL: Run-on sentences aside, the fact of the matter is that Owens is a first-ballot Hall of Famer who will likely finish his career third in league history in touchdowns. But a lot of people would like to hinge his legacy on the success of this particular Cowboys team, or whichever team comes next. [MORE]

DAVE TOMAR: If justice prevails, when Terrell Owens retires, fans of the game will remember him as an emotionally crippled narcissist, driven by the extent to which his involvement in football allows him to be seen and heard constantly. [MORE]

DAVE TOMAR: Well, to the point, it’s not even disappointing. I’d like to say that Axl’s legendary ambition—often the assumed culprit for the extraordinary incubation period on this work—crushed its spirit under the sheer girth of aging. But to the contrary, the album is thin, sterile and absent the distinction of hard labor. Actually, it’s the musical equivalent of a subdoral hematoma, vibrating like a bruise on the brain stem. [MORE]

TED BERG: Did you expect “November Rain”?

I’m not here to argue that Chinese Democracy doesn’t suck. But to say it sucks because it is in some way inauthentic is misguided at best. [MORE]

HOWARD MEGDAL: My system change is a simple one: if you play a Division I-A schedule, and finish undefeated, you have the chance to play one of the top-ranked BCS teams. If you beat that team, you win a share of the national title. [MORE]

STEVE KORNACKI: That said, the proposition that every undefeated team in college football should automatically be slated in a “championship” game offers only a false promise of justice. [MORE]

MOLLY SCHOEMANN: It’s easy to mock the tiny GPS unit. There it sits, mounted on your dashboard, waiting patiently to tell you to turn left in one-tenth of a mile. Oblivious to your snappy retorts and obscene innuendoes; like a humorless Dudley-Do Right, it is the ultimate straight man in your traveling comedy team. [MORE]

TED BERG: Love your GPS? Make way for your robot overlords.
Did you think the war would come instantly, that one day we’d wake up entrenched in conflict with advanced humanoid cyborgs? They’re smarter than that. They’re starting small. [MORE]