You make a salient point, but the RIAA's actions seem like "too little, too late". Rep. Berman said it in the article: there are other, effective ways to promote music than the radio. My prediction is that radio will take fewer chances on newer acts, because the additional payments toward royalties create a thinner margin for error. And as much as Mary Wilson says "at least it's a start" to begin paying long-established artists, I think she knows it's a piss-poor start. The stations that would play the Supremes orbit the earth now; Jack FM and Bob FM are chasing away the artists most in need of a little payback.

And I'm a little suspicious of the RIAA's motives... they represent labels and distributors - it's in their name - so how much of this new revenue stream is really going to Percy Sledge (or Jonatha Brooke), and how much is going to prop up crumbling labels with an infusion of quick cash?

Cleveland doesn't want to admit it, but this series is much, much less about King James' ability to carry a team than about the rest of his team being complete horsecrap. Yeah, Hamilton should've been whistled, but did you see Larry Hughes gank on that gimme immediately after? Sasha's travel was similarly egregious. And if Varejao didn't have the Sideshow Bob do, he'd be just another Matt Barnes: a hustler who can step up but not help take the scoring heat.

Yes, the Pistons have great D, but hardly anyone thinks they'll challenge the Spurs, because the Spurs have surrounded Tim Duncan with talented role players. Not even '92 Jordan could carry Drew Gooden and a washed-up Zydrunas Ilgauskas to a championship. The Cavs' best isn't good enough, Bron-Bron's out of here, and everyone knows it. How hard would it have been to find a poor man's Pippen for LeBron?

The RIAA has abandoned sales as an income source! Genius! So now it puts the squeeze on radio stations, which will likely have the effect of weeding out smaller concerns in favor of the megalith broadcasters. You know, the ones that already play the same 12 songs every hour - the songs generally banged out by big-money producers with vanity labels in conjunction with shiny pop stars. What a neat way to speed up obsolescence!

Great Dylan clip, by the way.

Imagine dueling stealth campaigns... Michael Bloomberg's self-financed run vs. Al Gore's DVD-sales-goosed campaign. The media may not have to follow another candidate ever again...

I actually thought it was kind of funny, in a Rappin' Karl Rove sort of way. Maybe, just maybe, there was a glimmer of recognition that this hard-and-fast rule is a tad unreasonable. Anyway, it made for a great soundbite.

I actually think a two-hour finale would've done this show some good; maybe Tyra & co. would have been forced to manufacture some drama, a few worthwhile challenges, or something. Instead they blow through a couple tasks with the two most ingratiating cuecarders on the show. "Battle of the accents" indeed... who thought a Cover Girl was a good idea for two ESLers? Those poor kids.

I still can't believe a sack of angles like Jaslene is considered model potential. I thought the industry was getting past this, but damn near every judge kept saying how hot she was, week in and week out. Then again, I only watched the last four weeks of the show... I'm probably a bit off the target demographic.

That was fucking classic. I can't stop laughing... kinda wish I read that after work.

I have nothing much to add. "Freebirthing" is a hideous prescription when applied to all (or even most) women. Don't fight evolutionary biology, people. I don't know if freebirthing can be attributed to a misplaced devotion to all things vaguely "natural," or to our amusing American tendency to greet every problem with a positive attitude and crossed fingers.

The fault isn't with the enforcement of the rule - as much handwringing was expended before the announcement, only an official like Stu Jackson could've stepped to the podium - but with something else you addressed. There is no excuse for not building some flexibility into the ruling months ago. After the Pistons/Pacers debacle, I can't fault Stern for getting nervous about players wandering freely, seeking whom they may devour, but it was either remarkably shortsighted or merciless of him not to predict this scenario and draft a rule accordingly. So the Suns are playing with one hand behind their back for a game. It's still a tied series. Suck it up, move Marion like a chess piece, and hope the league gets it right by next season, if not the next series.

And if that's not good enough, tell Barbosa to start walking under jump shooters.

Fred Phelps thinks "I'm winning!"

What FMHilton said. The man had some deeply skewed priorities, but apparently, on at least one occasion, he was a man of principle. Great testimony... what's it going to take for Bush to cut ties with Gonzales? Is the AG gonna have to receive a massage?

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Fucking despise that term. I first saw it used in a Pitchf**k year-end list; it was referenced to defuse it, but the phrase lingered. What's wrong with dads? Who wouldn't want to hear what a father has to say? I love my dad. He's a man of tremendous courage and conviction.

I mean, I get what the term implies: complacency, a cheery squint at Americana. What's the better brand? Hormone rock? The last half-decade of herky-jerks and scripted temper tantrums? The kind of people who say "dad rock" confuse their albums with vintage scarfs and hair dye.