Get Cynical

Wikipedia’s entry on Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Star the Fire” lists and gives a summary of every lyrical reference.

1950

* Joe McCarthy, the U.S. Senator, gains national attention and begins his anti-communist crusade with his Lincoln Day speech.
* Richard Nixon is first elected to the United States Senate.
* Studebaker, a popular car company, is beginning its financial downfall.
* Television is becoming widespread (in black and white format) and becomes the most popular means of advertising.
* North Korea, South Korea engage in warfare as North Korea attacks on June 25, beginning the Korean War.
* Marilyn Monroe soars in popularity with five new movies including The Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve, and attempts suicide after death of lover Johnny Hyde. Monroe would later (1954) be married for a brief time to Joe DiMaggio (the rhyme in the previous verse).

And I might as well post the video.

(via Atheist Media Blog)

This Metafilter post has a roundup of some amusing YouTube clips of insane shoppers doing what insane shoppers seem to do on Black Friday.

I’ll gladly pay full price just to avoid this kind of silliness.

Sadly No has a bunch of LOLtriots for tonight’s game against the Iggles.

I love that Vegas now has to consider the Belichick factor when determining spreads:

“Nowadays, you don’t see too many spreads over 16 or 17 points,” said Sean Van Patten, an oddsmaker at Sports Consultants in Las Vegas. “That’s because most teams take their starters out in the fourth quarter of a lopsided game. The Patriots don’t. I call this phenomenon The [Bill] Belichick Factor.”

By continuing to pour it on the fourth quarter, Belichick is throwing Vegas out of whack. And making bookies run for cover.

It all started Sunday night after Belichick walked across the field at Ralph Wilson Stadium to shake hands with Buffalo Bills head coach Dick Jauron, an awkward moment captured on national TV after the Patriots annihilated the Bills 56-10.

“The line for the Patriots-Eagles game was immediately set at 17 points — and the big bettors, the sports syndicate guys, jumped on it, bet it hard,” said Brandon Lang, whose life was depicted by Matthew McConaughey in the movie “Two for the Money” and is regarded as the nation’s leading sports handicapper.

According to bookies and oddsmakers, all the big money took the Patriots and gave the points. Why? Because Belichick has been running up the score.

(via Classic Television Shows)

Japanese television rarely disappoints.
(via Awful Announcing)

Goddamn xians:

A Christian group trying to prosecute the producer and broadcaster of Jerry Springer – The Opera under blasphemy laws will take its case to the high court in London today.

Christian Voice wants to bring a case against Mark Thompson, the director general of the BBC, and Jonathan Thoday, producer of the award-winning musical, for blasphemous libel, but was refused permission by City of Westminster magistrates court. The group is hoping to launch what would be only the third prosecution in more than 80 years for an offence which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

From Wired:

Having conquered television, movies, videogames, comic books, paperbacks and lunch boxes, the original Star Trek crew moves into high definition this week. The first season of Star Trek: The Original Series beams onto store shelves Tuesday in an HD DVD/DVD combo pack that looks better than ever.

To celebrate, we’re reliving the glory of 10 of the best monsters and creatures to stomp, ooze or float across the screen in the groundbreaking TV series. Thanks to the magic of high def, and a painstaking digital remastering effort, you can now see these monsters in more detail than ever before — although, to be fair, that doesn’t make them look any more convincing.