Mark Twain and the Orange Men

Watched the show of Conan O'Brien receiving the Mark Twain Award at the Kennedy Center on Netflix over the weekend. I knew there would be a leftist anti-Donald Trump slant to the whole show but was willing to watch and enjoy some good laughs because I truly enjoy Conan O'Brien. But when they tried to co-opt Mark Twain as a supporter of their positions - I felt they went way too far.

Have a new post up on Substack on the show (because I had to say something).

Some Memes You May Enjoy

 Many a truth is said in jest.

- One of my favorite Conan clips

- Reminder

- I want my reparations

- Heh Heh

I Miss Norm Macdonald

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Tony Mendez "Argo" spy who smuggled US hostages out of Iran during crisis, dies at 78.

- Governor Charlie Baker wants sports betting in Massachusetts. I want it too.

- Interesting - death is weirder than you think

- Conan O'Brien on the temporary nature of fame

- The massive mystery of Saturn's rings

- Identical twins get different results on DNA tests from 5 companies.

- Nice profile of Patriots defensive coach and the next had coach of the Miami Dolphins Brian Flores

The Wilton North Report

The Wilton North Report was a show that I had never heard of by am now fascinated by due to this terrific first person history of the failed late-night show.

I also never knew that Conan O'Brien and Greg Daniels (King of the Hill, The Office, Parks and Recreation) started off as writing partners.

Very fun read - worth your time.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

It is amazing that Derek Jeter at age 38 leads the AL in hits. Amazing... Wicked funny - Jack Brayer and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog visit Chicago's Weiner's Circle... I've said it before but Barack Obama not campaigning in Massachusetts for Elizabeth Warren is probably proof that his polls show his presence would just antagonize likely voters into voting for Scott Brown... Awesome! Where are my dragons?... Todd Helton is the same age as Derek Jeter and has a higher career batting average (.321 to .313) yet Helton is not close to getting that magic 3,000 hits. Did going to college at Tennessee cost Helton a few years of playing and a potential spot in the Hall of Fame?... Speaking of Tennessee - as a former frat guy I think this is great!... A final Derek Jeter nugget - he needs just 10 hits for 3184 which would tie him for 14th place on the all-time hits list with Cal Ripken.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Not a big fan of Lebron James but it should be pointed out he's "only" 26-years old. A very immature 26-years old. Maybe the fact is that he just can't handle the pressure... Tim Wakefield vs. Derek Jeter: A matchup for the ages... Someone should come up with a "Frank McCourt has made payroll" site similar to the "Abe Vigoda is still alive" site... A pet peeve if you'll allow me. People today associating LBJ with LeBron James and not Lyndon Johnson has to be part of the dumbing down of America... Another Deadwood actor is cast on Sons of Anarchy, continuing the "Deadwood"/ "Sons"/ "Justified" competition... I have to wonder if what Mark Jackson will make with Golden State is actually less money than what Steve Lavin makes at St John's? I think St. John's missed the boat on alumni Jackson... By letting Victor Martinez and Adrian Beltre walk away, the Red Sox set themselves up to diversify their portfolio in the draft... Speaking of the MLB Draft - whatever happened with Red Sox prospect Mike Rozier? I think he left baseball after being hit in the head twice. Why did he also quit Tennessee football? Was that related to him getting hit in the head? What's the story?... Very funny old Conan O'Brian clip with Dave Chappelle.

Team Coco vs NBC

Very interesting excerpt from the Bill Carter book on how Conan O'Brien lost the Tonight Show.

In business dealings I'm always a fan of having a Plan B in case your plan A doesn't work out. In this situation it is clear that NBC never had a Plan B thought out in case Leno or Conan didn't succeed in their new time slots. The lack of a Plan B is what caused all the drama. If a Plan B was discussed prior to Leno moving to 10:00 then all this could have been averted. Simple planning - if Leno works fine at 10:00 then all is well but if not then we go to Plan B.

Fascinating stuff.

Morning Links

Some stuff I found interesting and wanted to share.

- Demon Sheep? I can't ever recall laughing so hard at a political ad.

- Some pretty amusing T-shirt designs

- Conan O'Brien - Old Time Baseball. Just awesome.

- Cool - new underwater plane. I want one!

- Call of Duty - Women's Edition