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a hippopotamus, of course!

from last night’s SNL — simply awesome, because it’s 100% true:

ABC announced it was cancelling the new Mike Judge series “The Goode Family”.

“The Goode family struggles with modern social and environmental responsibilities being liberals, and the paradoxes that arise for a working-class family when trying to be politically correct all of the time about everything.” (Wikipedia)

I saw a few of the 13 episodes and thought they were funny and really promising. It was a good combination of thoughtful political humor and modern American life.

ABC originally ran it on Wednesdays for a few weeks in late May and early June. Then the NBA playoffs moved the show to Friday nights where it stayed. Of course the ratings were terrible! Putting on a new series, in the summer, on Fri. nights?

ABC also never posted full episodes online — none at the show’s site on ABC.com nor on hulu.

This is a perfect show for getting linked to on the blogosphere. Given ABC’s lackluster online presence compared to other networks (especially NBC), I’m not surprised. I’m also not surprised that a show mocking modern suburban liberal attitudes was cancelled by a bunch of modern suburban liberals.

Mike Judge is a comic genius. Hopefully this show finds a good home somewhere else. Comedy Central always seems to be trying new things. And Fox seems to like restarting cancelled shows when they have a shot — see Family Guy and Futurama

So, if you want to bring back the Goode Family, send ABC an email and sign up for notification on Amazon when the DVD is ready.

More from the Daily Show’s Jason Jones in Iran (a couple weeks ago):

Daily Show correspondent Jason Jones was in Iran recently interviewing some people who are now under arrest:

And Jon Stewart interviews the son of one of those arrestees, Ebrahim Yazdi:

 I voted Democrat because I love the fact that I can now marry whatever I want. I’ve decided to marry my horse.

I voted Democrat because I believe oil companies’ profits of 4 % on a gallon of gas are obscene but the government taxing the same gallon of gas at 15 % isn’t.

I voted Democrat  because I believe the government will do a better job of spending the money I earn than I would.

I voted Democrat  because freedom of speech is fine as long as nobody is offended by it.

I voted Democrat  because when we pull out of Iraq I trust that the bad guys will stop what they’re doing because they now think we’re good people.

I voted Democrat because I’m way too irresponsible to own a gun, and I know that my local police are all I need to protect me from murderers and thieves.

I voted Democrat  because I believe that people who can’t tell us if it will rain on Friday can tell us that the polar ice caps will melt away in ten years if I don’t start driving a Prius.

I voted Democrat because I’m not concerned about the slaughter of millions of babies so long as we keep all death row inmates alive and watching cable TV.

I voted Democrat because I believe that business should not be allowed to make profits for themselves. They need to break even and give the rest away to the government for redistribution as THEY see fit.

I voted Democrat because the 16 Caribou in Alaska don’t want to feel misplaced by drilling in Anwar. It is like forced busing.

I voted Democrat  because I believe liberal judges need to rewrite the Constitution every few days to suit some fringe kooks who would never get their agendas past the voters.

Weather Channel Accused of Pro-Weather Bias

Circulating via email, this classic Calvin and Hobbes is spot on:

Click here for a larger version

From Dave Barry’s Review of 2008 (he is not making this up):

January tidbit:

“On the Democratic side, the surprise winner is Barack Obama, who is running for president on a long and impressive record of running for president. A mesmerizing speaker, Obama electrifies voters with his exciting new ideas for change, although people have trouble remembering exactly what these ideas were because they were so darned mesmerized. Some people become so excited that they actually pass out. These are members of the press corps.”

March tidbit:

“In politics, Barack Obama addresses the issue of why, in his 20 years of membership in Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, he failed to notice that the pastor, Jeremiah Wright, is a racist lunatic. In a major televised address widely hailed for its brilliance, Obama explains that . . . OK, nobody really remembers what the actual explanation was. But everybody agrees it was mesmerizing.”

April tidbits:

“tensions run high in the Pennsylvania Democratic primary, which all the experts agree is extremely crucial. Barack Obama gets into trouble with rural voters for saying that rural Americans are ”bitter” and ”cling to guns or religion.” Responding to charges that this statement is elitist, Obama responds: “You are getting sleepy. Very sleepy.” ”

“On the Republican side, John McCain gets wind of something called the ”Internet” and orders his staff to give him a summary of it on index cards.”

“In economic news, the price of gasoline tops $4 a gallon, meaning the cost of filling up an average car is now $50, or, for Hummer owners, $17,500. Congress, responding to the financial pain of the American people, goes into partisan gridlock faster than ever before, with Republicans demanding that the oil companies immediately start drilling everywhere, including cemeteries, and Democrats calling for a massive effort to develop alternative energy sources such as wind, the sun, tides, comets, Al Gore and dragon breath, using technology expected to be perfected sometime this millennium. It soon becomes clear that Congress will not actually do anything, so Americans start buying less gasoline.”

May tidbit:

“the International Atomic Energy Agency releases a report stating that Iran is actively developing nuclear warheads. In response, Iran issues a statement asserting that (1) it absolutely is not developing nuclear warheads, and (2) these are peaceful warheads. The United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia and China convene an emergency meeting, during which they manage, in heated negotiations, to talk France out of surrendering.”

June tidbit:

“In other campaign-related news, Chicago developer Tony Rezko, a former Obama associate and fundraiser, is convicted on corruption charges, but the press realizes that this is not an issue after Obama explains that it is not an issue.”

July tidbit:

“Barack Obama, having secured North and South America, flies to Germany without using an airplane and gives a major speech — speaking English and German simultaneously — to 200,000 mesmerized Germans, who immediately elect him chancellor, prompting France to surrender. ”

August tidbits:

“Barack Obama, continuing to shake up the establishment, selects as his running mate Joe Biden, a tireless fighter for change since he was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1849. The Democratic Party gathers in Denver to formally nominate Obama, who descends from his Fortress of Solitude to mesmerize the adoring crowd with an acceptance speech objectively described by The New York Times as “comparable to the Gettysburg Address, only way better.” ”

“Meanwhile John McCain, still searching for the perfect running mate, tells his top aides in a conference call that he wants ‘’someone who is capable of filling my shoes.” Unfortunately, he is speaking into the wrong end of his cellular phone, and his aides think he said ‘’someone who is capable of killing a moose.” Shortly thereafter McCain stuns the world, and possibly himself, by selecting Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a no-nonsense hockey mom with roughly 114 children named after random nouns such as “Hamper.””

“Elsewhere abroad, war breaks out between Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia and Abkhazia, serving as a stark reminder that, in an increasingly uncertain world, we, as Americans, have no idea where these places are.”

September tidbit:

“But the presidential campaign is soon overshadowed by the troubled economy. The federal government is finally forced to take over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac after they are caught selling crack at a middle school. But that is not enough, as major financial institutions, having lost hundreds of billions of dollars thanks to years of engaging in practices ranging from questionable to moronic, begin failing, which gives the federal government an idea: Why not give these institutions MORE hundreds of billions of dollars, generously provided by taxpayers?”

November tidbit:

“Barack Obama, in a historic triumph, becomes the nation’s first black president since the second season of 24, setting off an ecstatically joyful and boisterous all-night celebration that at times threatens to spill out of The New York Times newsroom. Obama, following through on his promise to bring change to Washington, quickly begins assembling an administration consisting of a diverse group of renegade outsiders, ranging all the way from lawyers who attended Ivy League schools and then worked in the Clinton administration to lawyers who attended entirely different Ivy league schools and then worked in the Clinton administration.”

Or is it Happy Hanukkah!

Chanukah starts this evening at sundown. Anyone who loves religious freedom and freedom from government oppression can appreciate the story of Chanukah. The story of persistence, reverence and dedication still applies today, regardless of your status as Jew or Gentile. Make no mistake: people throughout history have used the power of government to oppress the free expression of religion and speech. The desires of the Jewish warriors in the 2nd century BC for the freedom to live, believe, and worship as they choose continues today. We salute you.

On a much less serious note, I’ve never seen all 3 Adam Sandler Chanukah / Hanukkah songs in one place online, so here they are:

Adam Sandler’s original Chanukah (Hanukkah) Song:

Adam Sandler - The Chanukah Song Part 2

Adam Sandler - The Chanukah Song Part 3

Bonus Material … Bonus Material … Bonus Material

Did you know Adam Sandler is a Republican? Apparently that’s news to me. I don’t remember his performance at the 2004 RNC and I didn’t realize he gave money to Rudy in 2008 (although I think he would have been better off giving it to Bernie Madoff for that return on investment…)

Newsmeat.com has a long and interesting list of political donations from celebrities and others. You can also search for individual donors, candidates, and types of donors.