Although most of them don’t realize it, fans of Buffalo Bob, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Bart Simpson and ‘60s beach movies are mourning the death of Ed Kean, the original writer for The Howdy Doody Show.
The coining of “Kowabunga” is generally misattributed by generations of Americans too young to qualify for regular colonoscopies. However, a contributor to the online Urban Dictionary has it right:
This was a term used by Chief Thunderthud on the Howdy Doody show in the fifties. It was picked up by surfers in southern California in the late fifties, then skateboarders. Not Swahili, not Hawaiian, not Mutant Ninja Turtles - Howdy Doody.
Kean scripted the seminal TV kiddie show from 1947 to 1954, and is credited with writing its beloved but earwig-like theme song, “It’s Howdy Doody Time.”
RIP Ed. Thanks for the cultural continuity, and praise God you weren’t Bozo.
PS: Please use this thread to cast your nomination for the Teabagger or Wingnut politician most deserving of the appellation “Chief Thunderthud.”
As you can see, the video shows Katie Couric preparing to go on the air on the day John McCain announced Governor Palin as his running mate. It shows some tantalizing hints of Couric’s attitude toward the Governor—when talking about first Trig, then Track, Couric says “where the hell do they get these [names]?...” At that point the producer running the sound board shut off the sound because he or she didn’t want to have Couric’s disdainful and contemptuous view of Governor Palin’s children captured on even an internal CBS tape that they never expected would see the light of day. You can tell this by the “OMG!” reaction of the CBS news employees who were in the control room as Couric said that about the Governor’s kids. This video also shows Couric taking a shot at female basketball players and at Governor Palin’s hometown, one of the fastest growing areas in the country, and the fifth largest city in Alaska.
There’s a larger story here, of course.
Of course, the larger story is that YOU’RE RIDICULOUS FUCKING PEOPLE! Stop it. Now. I can’t take being American anymore. You teabaggin’ Palinbots are embarrassing the hell out of me. I WANT MY COUNTRY BACK!
This is just a little taste of the delicious vox populism shortly (15 minutes) to be on display on ABC. Anybody up for a live-blogging?
How dare he appear on daytime television? He’s supposed to talk only to serious news organisations, or at least S. E. Cupp of the Daily News! Oh, the dignity, the dignity!
SPOILER ALERT: CHELSEA DIDN’T INVITE HIM. O SNAP OF ALL TIME!!!
Thousands of people from California and around the world tuned in to FOX40.com to listen to a speech prepared by Sarah Palin Friday evening from the campus of California State University, Stanislaus. During that stream, several unfortunate events occurred that we hope to clear up through this statement.
First, FOX40 News was the only station streaming a live signal from CSU Stanislaus during Sarah Palin’s presentation. Friday, we were told by officials organizing the speech that we were not permitted to beam a live signal direct from the dining hall where Sarah Palin was presenting; instead, we were offered the opportunity to aim a FOX40 camera at a projection screen inside a room for assembled media down the hall from where Sarah Palin was due to speak. We were cautioned by the organizers of the event that there was an ongoing audio situation. We were faced with two decisions—to not carry a speech of local and national importance due to the low-quality methods we’d be forced to transmit, or to provide a signal by any means necessary. It was with the public interest in mind that we opted for the latter.
Second, following Sarah Palin’s address from CSU Stanislaus, several reporters could be heard making comments about the speech that some viewers considered inappropriate and unprofessional. Day by day, television, newspaper and radio reporters are asked to cover stories involving mayhem and misery, and occasionally off-color comments slip out on-air and online. Honestly, it’s happened on FOX40 News and on FOX40.com in the past during live presentations of news and events.
However, the comments overheard were made by reporters assembled from other newspaper and television outlets, and at no time was the voice of our photographer heard on the stream. It’s very likely that those reporters and photographers were unaware, or simply forgot, that there was one television station with an open microphone broadcasting to the world.
If you wanna suffer through most of Palin’s roller coaster (worst ride ever!), here you go:
Where are the defenders of Big Oil? Who is looking out for the millionaires who have given up vacations so that they can sorta weather the oil spill storm in the gulf? Well, finally, someone stands up for Big Oil’s right to be careless and to avoid responsibility! Our very own Joe Barton.
As CNN’s anchor just put it, covering the BP hearing, “You just had your first ‘Wow!’ of the day.”
Barton apologized to the BP CEO. He said he was “ashamed” at what took place at the White House yesterday because a private company being asked to set up a trust fund following an environmental/economic disaster is “a terrible precedent.” And he called it a “shakedown.”
UPDATE: Here’s the video…
Ha ha! America, your former country, thanks you, Linus!
Will someone please stage an intervention with Mittens before he dumps tens of millions more devalued dollars into a doomed quest for the 2012 GOP nomination? The Five Sons of Mitt are the most obvious candidates for the task. The Romneys are loaded, but they are multiplying like bunnies and will eventually need every cent to keep the MiniMitts in MittMansions and Guatemalan gardeners.
Mitt’s definitely running, though, else why would he churn out hilarious shit like this?
The first rule of turnarounds is to focus time, energy and resources on what matters most. The president simply cannot treat this crisis like another of his many problems. The oil disaster could hurt millions of families, slam the regional economy, kill untold numbers of non-human lives and irreparably damage the planet. Among other things, he must not hold more rock concerts at the White House — I understand James Carville’s venting: His hero fiddled as oil churned.
That last sentence is a rather obvious lie—nobody really understands anything crazed-fetus-look-a-like Carville says, least of all Mitt, who is also too dumb to realize that Obama is hardly Carville’s hero. But no more rock concerts—great point.
Here’s the trailer for Glenn Beck’s new “thriller” The Overton Window. Just like Beck, IT IS FUCKING RIDICULOUS!!!! Hold onto something solid and imagine how cool it would be if this ad had Smell-O-Vision.
Let me ask you a question. When was the last time you saw your black male colleague, especially if you’re in a white-collar profession, show anger or rage in public? My hunch is never. There’s a reason for that. African American men are taught at very young ages (or learn the hard way) to keep our emotions in check, to not lose our cool, lest we be perceived as dangerous or menacing or give someone a reason to doubt our ability to handle our jobs. Think of the emotional corset women in leadership positions are expected to maintain to ensure they never cry in public or show TOO much compassion for fear of raising the same doubt and seeming weak.
While Jon Stewart is usually always good, his monologue last night actually had me laughing so hard that I was unable to go to sleep for about an hour afterward. His riff on South Carolina’s sexy fun (starting about 3:00 in) is a classic. Hopefully you’ll find it as funny as i did.
In other news, if you’re in a primary state and if it’s applicable to you and your party, get out and vote. I’ll be doing my part to kick out frosh Congressman John Adler (D-NJ01) who decided that us democrats in the area wouldn’t mind if he voted against HCR and the jobs bill. He has no chance, but Barry Bendar gets my vote today. I’m also rooting for Bill Halter, Orly Taitz and Nikki Haley.
I think Beck is both shrewd and half-mad—he’s got the money-making machinery running like a Ferrari, and yet he has a belief in elaborate patterns involving God and figures of political authority that’s reminiscent of the lamppost manifestos of unmedicated schizophrenics. People like that are completely sincere about their belief systems—and I think the mad part of Beck’s brain is as well. And yet he’s simultaneously sane and cynical enough to be an impresario whose top act is himself in the throes of half-madness.
p.s. If No More Mister Nice Blog isn’t on your daily reading list, what in the hell is wrong with you? One of the poliblogosphere’s great injustices is that after 8+ years of great writing, Steve’s blog isn’t swamped with readers. Seriously.
