philly

The Daily Show: Reinventing Television

The Internet is just a world passing around notes in a classroom. That's all it is.

That's my favorite quote from this Wired article about how The Daily Show is reinventing television. I learned a startling factoid: America: The Book has sold 2.5+ million copies [I got mine back in September]. The rest of the article is filled with the usual banter, hilarious.

Comcast Customer Service

Bitch Dog. That's what Comcast's customer service calls LaChania Govan. After about forty calls to Comcast's CS department about her DVR malfunctioning, she got a bill with her name as "Bitch Dog" oh man. Lawsuits? I don't think any laws were broken here, but psychological damage? That one's always a winner.

My Comcast troubles have involved waiting around all day for the technician[s] to show up.

And in a pleasant turn of events, just two days after shutting off my cable/internet service at my old apartment and not resigning because they wouldn't give me 'the deal' with HBO included [which is what I previously had], they called me back. Last night as we were getting ready to go see The 40 Year Old Virgin [which was fucking hilarous] a Comcast rep called me to lure me back. He offered up a year of reduced prices [about half of what I was paying for the last year] and I said YES! He apologized for the previous rep not being able to accomodate me when I was moving to get 'the deal' as I transferred.

So now, I'll be getting the Digital Silver with HBO [Real Time is back this Friday!] and broadband installed soon. I'm scheduled for next Saturday, but maybe I'll get the bump to this Saturday because I got the shaft. Either way, we'll be back in action soon at home. Now, to network the new digs. I'm mulling an upgrade to WiFi-G.

***UPDATE*** 8.18.05
Two fired.

Photo: Chicago Tribune

Maradona's TV Host Debut

So fúbol phenom Maradona now has his own show in Argentina. His first guests were current Argentine striker Gabriel Batistuta, tennis great Gabriela Sabatini and fellow legend, Pelé. Maradona and Pelé haven't been too chummy through the years, but this BBC News article implies that they've made up. Pelé's son is now in jail on drug charges and the two discussed this along with Maradona's problems with cocaine.

I remember as a kid watching highlight reels of these guys. I looked to them as super giants. Mythical figures. Soccer lends itself to legend a little more than most sports with the whole one name thing and a lot of times, it's not even their real name. Who the hell knows who Edson Arantes do Nascimento is? Well, that's Pelé's real name. Watching Maradona run down the field and dribble through three, four, five, seven members of the English team in 1986 just a few minutes after his Hand of God goal. I remember, at soccer camp, watching a video of Maradona juggle various things: a tennis ball, a golf ball and then an empty water bottle with his heel.

I remember having this dinky little flipbook of Pelé 'megging two defenders in a row with only two touches of the ball. He got past them with body control, not so much speed. I'd flip through tens of times in a row. Slower each time. Trying to figure out how he did it. Pelé dribbled with his heels. It was almost impossible to take him off the ball. I tried, with no success, to copy this technique.

The debate will rage on forever as to who was the better player. They played in different eras. Maradona carried his team single handedly while Pelé had, arguably, the greatest teams of all time. Not to say that Pelé couldn't have carried his teams, he just didn't have to. When asked at the post-show press conference who is the better player, Maradona had this to say

My mother says I was the better player, and Pelé's mother says it was him

Well done.

Roasting Pam Anderson

Last night's Comedy Central Roast of Pamela Anderson was better than expected. But the single best joke of the night came from hilariously raunchy Lisa Lampinelli who we've seen live back in NYC.

Lisa set up my favorite joke of the night by noting how only someone with the star-power of Pamela Anderson could've made certain shows/movies a hit. Paraphrased:
Let's see Adam Corolla run around in a Speedo next to David Hasselhoff and make a show a hit... His nutsack is so hairy it would be like watching a squirrel trying to fight it's way out of a Crown Royal bag.

I was bent over clutching my stomach I was laughing so hard.

And Jeffrey Ross was actually funny this year.

More Sopranos Episodes?

Chroist, they're adding eight more episode to the next season of The Sopranos. The season is slated to start in March 2006, I'd say they're more likely to start a month or more later than that.

This will thin out the story line and just add more shitty filler episodes, I have no doubt about that. So there will be a total of twenty episodes for the final season. I'd say a total of eight will live up to the hype. But I'm positive I'll watch all twenty, I love The Sopranos and I don't think I'm gonna stop loving it anytime soon.

Current TV

I wanna check out this Current TV which launched Monday. Anyone see anything from this? I recall reading an article about it in The Nation several months ago, but haven't heard anything since.

Latoyia Figueroa

I've had countless discussions with friends on how the media feels the need to make a story out of a missing white person over a non-white person. Case in point, Natallee Holloway v. Latoyia Figueroa. I missed it yesterday on All Spin Zone, but not today. From Richard in his letter to CNN's Nancy Grace:

* * * * * *

Latoyia Figueroa is still missing after 8 days. And as tragic as the Natalee Holloway case might be, Natalee doesn't have a seven year old child wondering where she is, nor was Natalee (to the best of our knowledge) 5 months pregnant.

Here's an overview of the important details in this "missing woman" case:

1) Latoyia (we should only use her first name) is not white.
2) She does not have blonde hair.
3) She was not scheduled to get married last weekend.
4) She's from West Philadelphia.
5) There may actually be a lead or two in her case.
6) HER UNBORN BABY, HER UNBORN BABY, HER UNBORN BABY.
7) To the best of our knowledge, no one from Texas has yet offered to bring in cadaver dogs to search for Latoyia, nor have forensic dive teams volunteered to scour the Schuylkill or Delaware rivers.
8 ) Also to the best of our knowledge, the FBI hasn't been requested to participate in the investigation (even though Philly actually is in the US of A), nor have any DNA samples been rushed to Washington, DC.
9) HER UNBORN BABY, HER UNBORN BABY, HER UNBORN BABY.

I hope this enough for you to run with - certainly, the crackerjack CNN research team available to you can fill in any speculative details or obscure leads of prurient interest. While it's doubtful that Latoyia's family can offer $100 reward, much less $1 million (as has Natalee's), I'm sure they'd still have an undying gratitude for any of your viewers who could turn up a lead on Latoyia.

* * * * * *

The story has been picked up by AlterNet. When will it be picked up by the national MSM?

The All Spin Zone and the Philadelphia Citizen's Crime Commission have established a reward fund for information on Latoyia. More info here.

***UPDATE*** 12.22p
CNN.com front paged an article on Latoyia. I guess the answer is nine days. Hopefully she is found and hopefully it is not too late.

A roundup from the blogs over on Philly Future

Photo: WPVI

Santorum, Daily Show 11p

Don't forget: Tonight, Rick Sanitorium will be on The Daily Show. 11p. Re-airs at 1a and 8p Tuesday.

Fourteen Plasma TVs

I just watched this NY Times multimedia slideshow [without volume, I'm at work sans speakers] about an architect and his wife who have outfitted their swanky NYC apartment with FOURTEEN plasma TVs. Fourteen. I didn't listen to the voiceover so I don't know for sure how much each cost. Let's assume that they got the absolute top of the line plasmas with all the goodies. I'd say they'd be in the neighborhood of $10,000 each. That's $140,000 for the TVs themselves. And then they have to set up the sound systems in the various rooms and get a custom remote control for it. Maybe another $60,000? So about $200,000 in all?

What the hell is the point of this? Good grief.

Santorum on the Daily Show

Holy shit, Rick Sanitorium will be on The Daily Show on Monday night. It airs 11p and again at 1a and 8p on Tuesday.