The new TV season has kicked off this week. I have to DVR some things like "Chuck" tonight and "Reaper" tomorrow. That's because I am totally digging Ken Burns' "The War" on PBS. Quite frankly, I eat this stuff up. I think it's very good, and after tonight's episode, we've already covered 1942 and 1943. You tend to pick up tidbits that I was unaware of, like how many U.S. merchant vessels were destroyed rather close to our shores in 1942 and how one division heading for Rome in 1943 had 58 straight days of combat, losing 3200 men, while covering only 50 miles of terrain between Napoli and Roma.

Told in first person accounts from four US Cities: Mobile, Sacramento, Waterbury, CT and Luverne, MN. It's interesting because you'll get stories from someone who was at Bataan, another with Patton through Sicily and Italy, another at Guadalcanal (my Dad told me that was when he bailed on watching-"too much death"), another guy aboard a Flying Fortress trying to bomb those seemingly indestructible ball bearing plants a la "Hogan's Heroes".

The only criticism I had was that Part I ended with a pretty obvious edit. In order to satisfy the Latino "What About Us?" protests about their apparent exclusion, it was obvious that there was an addendum made after the fact. Oh, the story was great. It dealt with Carlson's Raiders, a guerrilla fighting force unlike anything the US had in its Army before. So, that was neat. But it did give the appearance of throwing a bone to the Latinos and let's move on.

Meal of Links

There's good and bad when looking at these awesome cars for 2008. I guess the good is that the price is mentioned, but the bad is, well, who can afford these automobiles? But, omigod, look at that Shelby. Someday...someday.

Mark Cuban, with his new hip, says he'll pull out all of the white man's moves for "Dancing With The Stars". Handicapping the field.

There is an alleged Meg White sex tape floating about the Internets today. I've seen it and I place the likelihood of it being her at about 0%. Oh, it's a woman. She has dark hair. That's where the resemblance ends, I'd say.

Exercise Yard

You know there's always been ridiculous announcing on sporting events. Don't get me started on Steve Lyons talking about Carlos Beltran's pet monkey during an important at-bat during a playoff game a few years ago.

But why did Mike Patrick reference Britney Spears during an overtime game when Alabama just moved ahead of Georgia? Todd Blackledge was even confused by this. Oh, it's an all-timer.



Mike: "I have an important question for you."
Todd: "Yes?"
M: "What is Britney doing with her life?"
T: "Who?"
M: "Britney!"
T: (confused) "Britney who?"
M: "Spears! What is she doing with her career?"
T: (still confused) "Why do we care at this point? Is she here?"
M: "I don't think so."
T: (even more confused) "Is she a football fan?"
M: "Oh, I'm sure she is."

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23 Across: Singer Orbison (3 letters) Answer: Roy (Mercy!)