McCain Chooses Tina Fey's Aunt as Running Mate

Democrazy

First of all, I must say I really admire Michelle Obama for, among other things, not wearing female power suits. Her speech was fine, but what was with that creepy video conversation between Barack and the kids at the end? Apparently it's cribbed from the Reagans? Why wasn't he, you know, at the convention? Every time he makes a speech Michelle has to go out there to hug him, back him up and wave, yet she's left out to dry and corral her kids into a photogenic video conference with their gigantic father? And who was this invisible family he kept referring to? I think he's taking this Kansas thing too far.

A Survey of the Recent Cinema

Here is Betty's cinema wrap-up! With letter grades and short reviews using each movie's initials:

Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Grade: A, Vixens Cow Bardem

Man on Wire - Grade: A-, Made of Wonder

Tropic Thunder - Grade: F, Time Throttled

The House Bunny - Grade: C-, Trite "Ha"s Bore

The Dark Knight - Grade: B, Too Dark (for) Kids

Pineapple Express - Grade: D, Pointless (and) Exhausting

The Rocker - Grade: C+, Time Rider-Outer

THE JUDGE AND THE GENERAL

See the excellent docu THE JUDGE AND THE GENERAL by Elizabeth Farnsworth & Patricio Lanfranco on PBS' site until September, 2nd.
Chilean judge Juan Guzmán, a former Pinochet supporter, was assigned the first criminal cases against the country's ex-dictator...

Ver -hasta el 2 de septiembre de 2008- el documental THE JUDGE & THE GENERAL en la página web de PBS, cliqueando acá.

Get thee to the church

I sat down to watch the Rick Warren interviews with the candidate. I got through about 12 minutes total.

Barack Obama: snoozefest. John McCain: dynamo. Barack Obama, please stop your mannered stuttering!

I just had a little vacation with my mom, who predicts Obama will endorse offshore drilling before November, and if so, she will vote for a one-eyed monkey before him. Thoughts?

And..this just in: startling news. The Hillary Clinton women who will now vote for McCain are not a media invention. I have met one in the flesh: my grandmother. She is technically undecided, but definitely leaning that way.

The Spirit of Summer

A baby moose in a sprinkler. Wait for it... soon joined by its (twin?) sibling and mom. Frolicking ensues. Dedicated to Moo and Boo.

"America's Loss of Innocence, Chapter A Billion"

I don't care about John Edwards's affair. He hasn't been running for anything for months, he wasn't even a real contender for VP, and he is a C-list public figure at this point. And unlike the many Republicans who drone on about sexual matters and convenient definitions of morality, Edwards stuck refreshingly to policy questions in his latest public campaigns.

But what I DO care about, and the aspect of the story that the mainstream news reporting so far has failed to emphasize (?!?!), is that John Edwards' campaign (to which Betty and Bimbo donated $300) paid his lover's production company

roughly $114,000 in 2006 and 2007 for "Website/Internet services."

Now that's disgusting.

***UPDATE!*** Also, how could he have in good conscience run for President with this very live skeleton in his closet? I don't think it's anyone's business, of course, but he had to have known that if caught John McCain would be our next president. But of course he didn't think he would get caught, like all Super Men.

***UPDATE, PART II!*** So many "of course"s, and yet still kind of unbelievable. Is this a cliche, or a mega-cliche, or a mega-ultra-super-cliche we've got on our hands?

mea culpa

i did watch paris hilton's video.