Remember the final round of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? where the winning contestant had to run around on a giant map with siren lights and identify the locations that “The Chief” barked out? After watching the video after the jump, we’re sure Al Franken would have walked away with a free trip to anywhere in the continental United States. How could the good people of Minnesota have ever doubted the wisdom of putting him in office? Read More »

Today at Flavorpill, we enjoyed all the bad puns in this piece about Hung‘s huge ratings. We felt bad for Susan Orlean’s cremated chicken. We watched the first four minutes of the new Harry Potter movie in German. We wanted to buy one of these pre-fab homes designed by Dwell and Marmol Radziner. We marked our calendars for the debut of Rock Plaza Central’s short story experiment on Twitter. We wondered who was going to buy a pair of Kanye West’s expensive shoes. We were happy for Senator Al Franken. We wanted to sport one of these ironic eco-totes. We couldn’t decide whether we’re rooting for Venus or Serena — we wouldn’t want to piss either one of the Williams sisters off. We felt bad for all of the talented people who were fired at Paramount. And finally, this Michael Jackson in Lego form post made us smile. And here we thought we were all MJ’ed out.

On Tuesday, veteran Pennsylvania senator Arlen Specter announced that he would defect from the Republican Party to join the Democrats on the other side of the aisle. This drastic decision, which will give Democrats a 60-vote, filibuster-proof majority (provided that Al Franken is eventually seated in Minnesota), stunned party leaders and political observers. But in retrospect, it seemed like Specter’s only logical move. What forced his hand? And just how important is his conversion for Senate policy and President Obama’s agenda? What follows is a brief guide to the political calculus behind Specter’s flip-flop, and a snapshot at what it all means for politics and policy.

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a reason to be really happy this morning: If you’re Neil LaBute, it’s because the New York Times really, really likes your new play. “Yet reasons to be pretty, which opened Thursday night at the Lyceum Theater in a wonderfully acted production directed by Terry Kinney, may turn out to be the sentimental sleeper of a season that includes star-powered, would-be tear-jerkers like 33 Variations and the unfortunate Impressionism. Making his Broadway debut with a revised (and much improved) version of a play seen off Broadway last year, Mr. LaBute has exchanged misanthropy for empathy, reaping unexpected dividends.” Congrats Neil! [NYT] Read More »

To paraphrase an old saying, if you remember early Saturday Night Live episodes, then you obviously weren’t there. A handful of behind-the-scenes books revealing the show’s secrets have come out over the years (not that anyone ever bothered hiding the backstage debauchery in the first place). Even so, 39 Years of Short-Term Memory Loss, the new tome from original SNL writer Tom Davis — former comedy partner of Al Franken — combines the unapologetic frankness of a racy memoir with the deadpan reportage of a checklist, recounting to the best of the author’s ability a life of award-winning comedy, drug-induced genius, globe-spanning adventurism, and sweet-and-sour celebrity friendships.

Flavorwire’s Shana Nys Dambrot (and her Dad, who thankfully saw fit to warp his then-eight year old daughter’s mind with “don’t-tell-your-mother” SNL sessions) caught up with him around the time of his Page Six-worthy book launch party in New York City; it featured both an ice sculpture of Lorne Michaels and the actual Lorne Michaels, plus comedy writing legends and cocktails galore. After the jump, Shana speaks to the altered-state master of satire about the people, places, and drugs that have helped shape his life and career.

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When a bunch of actors who you wouldn’t be able to place without some helpful titles band together on behalf of Hollywood to make sure that you don’t vote for AL FRANKEN as senator it just makes them look really sad — and makes you want to do everything in power to be nothing like them.

Is this the best turn out the National Republican Senatorial Committee can get?

If we lived in Minnesota we’d vote for Stuart Smalley just because it was the opposite of what they are telling us to do and we don’t even know who else is running. So unless they are secretly working for the Franken campaign, this little video stunt was a terrible idea.

Come on Cliff, what gives? Incidentally, which cast member from CHEERS would have the most sway with you?

We’d be too scared not to do whatever KIRSTIE ALLEY told us to.