I've been a K.O. fan since his days on SportsCenter. Listening to him for the better part of two decades has, for the most part, a sheer joy. But I agree with Mr Koppelman - Keith needs to pull it back a notch or three. Stridency, even if it's a message I agree with, eventually becomes too wearying to the senses. And Special Comments that happen with great frequency lose a bit of their 'specialness'. I don't want Keith to stop; far from it. I just want him to take a deep breath now and then.

His stint on SportsCenter got me to thinking -- a lot of his success came about due to his wonderful chemistry with Dan Patrick, who was often a calming balance to his more high-strung colleague. And didn't we all enjoy seeing the ever-amiable Rachel Maddow sit next to K.O. before she deservedly got her own gig?

Maybe a counter-balance would help things. Not that Keith would ever go for it, of course. The one thing he and Bill-O do share is a Manhattan-sized ego. Still, just saying.

The Dems could have a 75-25 advantage in the Senate and 320 House members, and Chuck Todd would still be saying the Republicans were in control. That's no shock. It's the prevailing narrative the corporate media will hammer into the public subconscious for the next four years.

What's left to say about Maureen Dowd? By next Sunday her systematic takedown of the new administration will kick into high gear, and she won't let up until every good thing Team Obama does is mocked, ripped and decimated with her pissy bon mots. She's a walking, talking cancer on the body republic. She serves no purpose, sheds no light, has neither a conscience nor common sense.

In other words, she is the Mainstream Media.

To any and all who post here: if you've never heard of or seen Jules Feiffer's work, Google him right now. Carol's wonderful homage to a true master is a terrific starting point for the uninitiated.

To those who DO know Feiffer's work... well, go back and check him out again, if for no other reason to give yourself a smile.

Happy New Year!

Ain't nothin' wrong with warm cherry pie served with some vanilla ice cream. Or some cold coconut pie served right out of the fridge. Or good old double-chocolate pie with the meringue still freshly layered on top...

Well, that tears it. Now I crave pie. Quickly, to the bakery!

"Aw man!! I should have checked the Television Without Pity boards more often. Here I was all sidetracked by cabinet appointments and shit and I wind up missing the important news."

Gee, that's funny. I've kept up with Obama's cabinet appointments, the attacks in Mumbai, the Franken-Coleman recount and Bush's latest attempts to kill off the environment before he leaves office... and yet I still managed to keep up with the fate of my favorite shows. Maybe it's just hard for you to multitask all the way up there on your pedestal.

All readers should go back to the cartoon Ruben did exactly four years ago, the morning after Bush was re-elected. Trust me, it'll give context as to why this one resonates even more than a casual viewing lets on.

Last night's SNL reminded me why I ever liked McCain in the first place. If that McCain had run this year, I believe the race would be closer. (He'd still be losing, of course - when all the postmortems are done, the financial meltdown was easily the biggest nail in his coffin.)

But the ease of McCain's delivery last night, his willingness to mock himself is still there. This is the same guy who gave a good performance at the Alfred Smith dinner last month -- thank god Rove and the Bush thugs hijacked his campaign and derailed every political instinct he had.

BTW, I can't help but think McCain REALLY enjoyed the skewering Tina gave Palin last night. That same postmortem's going to chronicle how much McCain and Palin came to hate each other, you betcha.

As for Affleck? Well, he proved once again why he's regarded as one of the worst actors of our generation. What accent was he doing last night during the Olbermann sketch? Has he even seen Countdown? K.O. is ripe for satire, but Affleck's "performance", coupled with SNL's crack writing team (snort) really blew it.

Who gives a crap? Ferraro's just giving lip service. Go back under your rock, you old bigot.

...I can really do without her relentless "Sky is falling" vibe. She's one the best, brightest, most beautiful minds on television today, but her constant hand-wringing (by own admission) ties me in knots.

Enough with the shpilkis, Rachel! Five more friggin' days...

"I can only sleep with good looking guys. I am now in my 50s and, well, those are thin on the ground for a woman my age. I would dearly love to be able to get fired up over a guy who is shorter, fatter, balder, or whatever. There are lots of them in my social circle and they are dear, sweet men. If I was even able, I would be overrun with men."

You poor thing. God bless you.

Since Ms. Berman wants to plumb the depths of superficiality, why not go all the way and ask the obvious:

Ladies (and gents, if you're so inclined), who would you rather bed? Brainy Barack or Brawny Todd?