Gay porn has been completely left out of the discussion.

The majority of gay porn since the late eighties has been condoms-only. And, trust me, its pretty damned hot. Straight folks need to catch on.

The defense attorney, the prosecuting attorney, the girl herself, and her mother all believe Polanski got a raw deal.

Yet somehow people like Wyman and anyone else who clutches their pearls at the idea of a 13 year-old being sexual (Anal??? GASP!!) knows better.

Reading some of these letters, I'm amazed that this film still manages to bring out the neo-Victorians in full force. Pasolini must have done something right.

Look, O'Reilly has made his entire career on being a bully. Why did anyone at Salon think this was even remotely relevant or surprising?

Thanks Salon, for not only giving in to the media's lust for sensationalism, but for giving a nothing like O'Reilly what he craves more than anything: Attention at any cost.

over whether or not Biden should be gentle with the self-described pitbull. Democrats come across as marshmallow-y when they play nice--God, remember Edwards practically kissing Cheney's ring in '04?

It's a debate, folks. Not a feminist, PC love-in, not an ice cream social. Slam her with grace, slam her with intelligence, but for Christ's sake SLAM HER!

Could someone please remind me again how a horror film like HOSTEL is similar to porn?

Oh, and Abu Ghraib? That was porn's fault, too? Huh.

As usual, gay porn is left out of the discussion. I watched a video the other day where I watched two consenting men engage in water sports, one's head being held down by the others shiny combat boot. And it was totally. Fucking. Hot. I guess I'm a menace to society and a complete misogynist for feeling that way.

Tired, tired, TIRED. Why can't salon interview Susie Bright perhaps as a point/counterpoint? But oh, that would be non-didactic and--horrors!--entertaining.

...having flashbacks to Tonya Harding and the broken shoelace?

With oral sex on the rise in today's youth, this strikes me as amusing and, most importantly, informative. The ad not only shows humor, but imagination and a sly empathy. Would that sex ed in this country were as enlightened.

But where are these ads where they might be seen? Like...say..oh, I don't know...television??

I live in Ohio and the TV is all McCain ads all the time. And the Obama ads that are rarely aired are as old as the hills.

This campaign needs to step the shit up, already.

We need more stuff like this in Salon.

"Oh, will this hurt the children??"

Sweet Christ am I sick of bloody fucking everything having to be sanitized for these creatures/investments/science projects we refer to as "the children".

The commercial is wrong, but that's what I love about it. I also loved the Quizno's singing squashed hamsters from a couple of years ago which people found "disturbing".

In closing: Lighten the fuck up, already!

I feel like I'm reading fucking Slate!

What a condescending tone you take in this article, Miss Harding!

And how's your dating life going?

The McCain ads have been very effective....the most recent one with footage of Democrats, including Hillary Clinton, praising McCain being by far the best.

Dems need to pull their heads out of their asses and get on the offensive already. I'm personally getting sick of the four-year broken record of relentless GOP smears with Dems doing absolutely nothing...convinced that "taking the high road" will bring them brownie points in...where?...heaven???

Would actually have interviews with people like Conor Oberst. Now we get some fangirl waxing contemplative over his music. Zzzzzzzzzzzzz......

Okay, maybe three: Melody, hooks, and theatricality. Three things that are completely MIA in today's popular music. Using these ideas as pop music standards and noting the way ABBA used them, its pretty hard to get worked up over something like Rhianna's "Umbrella" much less Daughtry, Matchbox 20, or Leona Lewis.

Oh, and funny you should mention the Sex Pistols...Johnny Rotten has gone on record as "loving ABBA".

Rachel Leigh Cook and Tate Donavan are now at the age where they're playing parents??? Sweet Jesus, I'm old!

The hipster contingent has been into Journey for years.

Here she is singing "Around The World". Absolutely brilliant:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=m-P-Bvn8qGo&mode=related&search=

Salon doing a feature about pop culture other than television? Why, I am just fanning myself into a agitated fluster here!

That said, Simonson's trumpeting of the death of the ding-a-ling musical is a bit erroneous. He neglects to mention that, after initial bumps, SPRING AWAKENING and GREY GARDENS are not setting the box office on fire while LEGALLY BLONDE and CURTAINS are doing quite well. And lets not even go into the whole Disney automaton nonsense and the virtual demise of the long-running straight play. Tourists still rule Broadway, I'm afraid, and they want their Times Square cotton candy and hot dogs, dammit! (Preferably IN the theatre, in loud crinkly plastic wrapping, during the most poignant part of the show.) Make way for THE LITTLE MERMAID and XANADU!

It seems less a bonafide phenomenon that more intelligent musicals are sprouting on Broadway than a case of the pendulum swinging back. There has been ALOT of fluff on the Great White Way of late, it was inevitable. There will always be those Quixotic souls determined to keep the American musical--a great art form that Americans do better than anybody--the avant garde art it once was, usually at a monetary loss. Lest we forget that truly radical works like FOLLIES, CAROLINE OR CHANGE, SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE and even the original production of WEST SIDE STORY (during which, walkouts were reportedly rife) all underperformed in their initial runs. God bless their creators for going there and yes, lets praise the ones who keep it going.

O'Hehir's writing continues to be superlative. It's stuff like this that keeps me subscribed.