Hell Yes

It's nice to type without sweating on the keyboard. I'm just sayin', is all.

Things that make me go, "Hmm...":

• I'm enjoying the summer TV, namely Rescue Me, Entourage, and HBO's The Comeback. The latter is Lisa Kudrow's post-Friends return to TV and it has really hooked me. Like another fave of mine, The Office, The Comeback is chock full of painful, awkward silences and slow-burn humiliation as Kudrow's character, a has-been sitcom actress, attempts to make her comeback while simultaneously filming a reality show about her comeback. It's not easy to watch, but is ultimately rewarding. Kudrow proves she can play much more than a ditzy blonde.
• As if you needed more evidence that mainstream radio suck-diddly-ucks, the New York Attorney General's office announced this week that Sony BMG Music Entertainment has settled a payola probe, admitting that it bribed radio stations to play its music. Sony will pay $10 million as part of the deal. Payola has been going on forever, but it's nice to see one of the big boys take it on the chin.
• Scientists in western Canada this week tested a clump of hair found in the Yukon territory that was believed to belong to a sasquatch-like creature, but tests found it was actually bison hair. Witnesses claimed to have seen a large ape-like creature running through the woods in Whitehorse, the Yukon capital. Whatever the science proves, it don't change the fact that this site is awesome.
• The newspaper I used to work for, the Salem News, was just sold along with its parent company this week to an Alabama company. This is the paper's third owner in 10 years; I actually worked for the Beverly Times, whose parent company, Dow Jones, bought the News in 1995 and then merged the Times into the News. In 2002, Dow Jones sold the News and two other local dailies to the Eagle-Tribune, a family-owned publishing company based in North Andover, MA. Plenty has changed since I last worked there in '95, but I still have friends there and wish them well. My sources tell me the new owner promised that there will be no immediate layoffs or buyouts, but those promises can change quickly.
• One hockey note: NHL Players Association head Bob Goodenough fell on his sword today, only a week after the players voted to accept a salary cap, something Goodenough had convinced them to fight to the extent that an entire season was lost. It's no surprise that he's gone, only that it happened this quickly after the agreement was signed. Goodenough led the players to prosperity in the '90s as salaries rose astronomically, but he stubbornly held fast to a non-cap stance and caused players to lose millions, both from the wiped-out season and from the cap and 24% salary rollback that was finally agreed upon. To his tenure, I say Gooderiddance.
• The Smoking Gun is one of my favorite sites, and this recent addition to its mug shot collection is a classic. Sparkly.