The only place we clearly agree is on Iron Man and Hell Boy--but there we agree all the way. I'm right there with you on them blowing Batman out of the water. Most of your others, I haven't seen.

Happy-Go-Lucky I did see, and hated. It wasn't as bad as Rachel Getting Married where people left the theater apologizing to one another for picking it, but it wasn't great either. Refusing to take anything seriously and laughing when nothing is funny do not make you either happy or entertaining. Here are 10 movies that made me happy I went to the theater:

Appaloosa--My companion and I liked this better than most of the critics. It's starkly beautiful, with tough guy leads that are complex. And an ambiguous love story.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona--Woody at his best.

The Bank Job--Just a riveting story--and its mostly true.

The Counterfeiters--Ditto.

In Bruges--Wow. Funny, brutal, suspenseful and tragic all at once. And gorgeous.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day--It made my mom happy. If Mom's happy, I'm happy.

The Band's Visit--Quirky, sweet, peace out.

The Visitor--It was between this and Elegy, and though I loved Ben Kingsley in Elegy, The Visitor wins because I can't remember how Elegy ends. The Visitory was memorable at least.

Mongol--Nice epic. My 13 year old stayed engaged even though it was long.

Iron Man & Hell Boy 2--Can't smile without you.

I just read the transcript of CK's interview, or as much of it as I could stand. Perhaps three fourths. Its a little painful, and not remotely illuminating--though I blame the interviewers as much as the interviewee. During this entire process I keep thinking back to Caroline's performance in a book tour appearance I once heard. Back then, a room full of adoring women tried over and over to elicit chattiness from her. They didn't care what she spoke about, they just wanted to hear her talk. And she wouldn't. I have never heard any author give the number of terse, monosylabic responses that CK did that day. All of her life, people have adored Caroline, and she really wants no part of it. However, that is her greatest asset. People want to like her. She needs to recognize that this is what she brings to the table.

CK was underprepared for the interview. Communicating with the public--via the media--is no small task. She could have used a several practice sessions--transcribed so that she could study them. CK demonstrated more than anything that she is green. I hope she gives another major interview soon and I hope she demonstrates that she has learned from this. That's the best qualification for anyone in public office: the ability to improve and learn from mistakes.

My recommendations to Caroline:

(1) Practice with a coach to expunge the verbal tic "you know" from your speech. Same with most of the laughter.

(2) Pick one or two issues that you know and care most about. When people ask absurd questions, rather than chastising them for their questions use the time to talk about this important issue. To do this you must remember that the reporter you are talking to is not your audience.

(3) I admire your anti-bull style, but be willing to dole out a few personal anecdotes. They don't need to be terribly revealing, but tell a story. People love stories. You know this. You have created anthologies of America's stories. You can even have it be deliberately, self-consciously hokie. You might even use it to segue into some of the stories you have anthologized.

(4) Anticipate questions like the one about how much money you live on. Here's a response for the reporters question about how you have been affected by the recession: "Clearly my family and I have been privileged. And if you want me to draw some sort of comparison between my circumstances and that of people who are losing houses and jobs, that's not going to work. [Be serious. Don't chuckle.] I can tell you this, compared to others in the Senate we have more than some and less than others (assuming this is true--and almost certainly it is)." If they press you for more detail, ignore the question and talk about being a good steward. If they press again, "people just aren't going to vote based on where I line up financially compared to other Senators, and I've no reason to believe that's what the Governor is looking at either." Keep your voice low and calm. Exhibit no frustration.

You can do it CK. A lot of folks are rooting for you.

I think it would be fair to count myself as one of Obama's earliest supporters. As soon as I heard him speak and heard he was contemplating a run for president I was sure he would win. By the time he gave the "fired up, ready to go" spiel with Oprah I predicted he had won. And I was pretty much right, and I'm still quite happy.

Even as you declare yourself mistaken, you still cling to some campaign nonsense. The idea that Hillary's electoral vote tie in NH was some sort of come back was always absurd. And you still aren't willing to acknowledge that Hillary race baited.

I couldn't give a rats ass about Rick Warren. I was part of the contingent of moderate Baptists that Warren and his ilk evicted from the Southern Baptist Convention. His three minute prayer at the inauguration is not a sign of his strength. Rather for me it symbolizes impotence. We finally have the ability to contain these people. To lock them into three minutes of public non-influence, as support for science and abortion rights are ushered back into the White House. If Rick Warren wants to preside over that, let him.