...For The Ride Home: 'Deadliest Catch' guys walk off show, soccer star gets caught in sex scandal and an interview with Ben Folds

This was good. Really, though. It was. I know it opened to bad reviews, and anyone who had seen it before me advised I stay away from it. But I enjoyed it. Of course it's not a candidate for Movie Of The Year or any such nonsense. But it's really worth a watch if you dig 1960s rock & roll, Mr. Hoffman or any of the people you see in one of the funniest movies I've ever seen, "In The Loop." Honestly. Check it out. Welcome to Wednesday, or, well, hump day as many dirty minds may suggest. How are you doing? September is nearly gone and October looms its head right around the corner. While driving today, the forecast on the radio said that temperatures are set to peak in the 50s throughout the weekend, so for those of you who may still be clinging to the last scraps of summer, you may be hit with a firm dose of fall within the next week or so. Cold weather. Rain. Dark. Dreary. Not to sound too depressing, but... Yeah. You get it. In any case, maybe a few of the following links may help ease the pain colder weather can bring. If not, maybe a look at who will possibly be in 2011's class of the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame could do the trick. Either way, here's hoping you and yours have a wonderful evening.

Am interview with Ben Folds. That should be enough to get you to click, right? (Popmatters)

Fulham defender meets transsexual. And, then, well… (Deadspin)

The Washington Post will no longer run ads for (possible) prostitution. I thought of a few different jokes, but none seemed fit to print. (Washington Post)

Still can’t understand this: The Academy Is… and a photo gallery of their tour with Kiss. (Alternative Press)

“Deadliest Catch” stars quit the show. Does this mean the dudes on “Ice Road Truckers” are going to call it a day, too? That’d be sad. (Yahoo)

The Rider Cup begins this week. This is interesting only because Tiger made some “we are a team” comments yesterday. Maybe this year will be worth watching. (Fox Sports)

“American Idol” judges come together for first try at being judges. Somewhere, Kara weeps. (USA Today)

The Grande Ole Opry is back. Having spent a few days in Nashville over the summer, I can confidently tell you I am happy about this. Good for them. (Pollstar)

...For The Ride Home: Love finds Jesse James again, Christians and sex, China is the future of journalism and the biggest concert ever in Detroit

Wanted to give you "Monster" with 'Ye, Jay, and...Bon Iver. But there wasn't a damn video on YouTube that actually worked. That's awfully annoying. Instead, we offer you the remix to "Power" to send you off into the (cue the creepy music) last weekend of summer. It also concludes Week 23 here at The Unusual Suspects headquarters. It was a fun week, don't you think? In addition to picking up a few new friends on Twitter, we talked about tailgating, Bob Bradley's contract extension, Chinese food and, of course, two movies I really can't wait to see (side: "Invictus" is not worth your time). It was a busy, busy week for myself, though now that I find myself at Friday, I am a mere few hours away from finally getting to where I want to be. Per tradition, we will not be stopping by Monday as we all celebrate the notion of labor, but we sincerely hope each and every one of you have a fantastic holiday weekend, and that you spend it wisely by saying goodbye to the summer of 2010 with a bang. We will be back to hang out/beg for advice on such things as food, life, movies and television/offer some links/smile/laugh/cry/love with each and every one of you on Tuesday. Until then, check out a few stories below, don't forget to grab this weekend by the gonads and live life to its fullest and, never could I forget: Love you, miss you.

Everybody. And I mean eve-ery-body was at the first Jay-Z/Eminem show last night. Also, a quick happy birthday to Beyonce this weekend, as well. Fabulous. (All Hip-Hop)

Reporter covers murder trial. Police investigate reporter. (State Journal-Register)

Really, though. Investigative journalism can’t die. It just can’t. (American Journalism Review)

So…now China is the future of journalism? (Newsweek)

Jerry Lewis wants to smack Lindsay Lohan. Oh. And his telethon is this weekend, too. (ThirdAge)

John Feinstein weighs in on the Mike Wise debacle at the Washington Post. Didn’t know they were friends. (Feinstein On The Brink)

Wow. Kat Von D is in love with Jesse James. Wonder how Sandy feels. (New York Daily News)

When you stumble across a headline such as this, you have to click it: “How Christians spoil sex.” (CNN)

“Rock Band” will now feature Snoop Dogg. So, does anyone still buy those games anymore? No one, right? That’s what I thought. (Pollstar)

...For The Ride Home: Revisiting 1990's music, Will Forte is leaving SNL and the Champions League draw was today

This DVD sits firmly on the top of my DVD player, and it seems as though there is no better night than tonight to finally indulge myself in it. After "The Maiden Heist," this has to be good, right? I mean, come on. You can't go two straight Netflix movies without stumbling upon something good, right? Right. Anyways, welcome to Thursday and the Ride that accompanies it. I have absolutely no idea where my partner in crime was earlier today, so alas, for the first time in this blog's history, there will be one Ride on top of the other. That's sad, isn't it? I plead with you not to think it's a product of laziness. Promise it won't happen again. Or, at least, I hope it won't happen again. In any case, the following links are for your viewing pleasure, and we sincerely hope you have a fantastic second-to-last day of the week. August is almost gone, now. Enjoy it while you can.

I have a lot of problems with this, actually. For one, Matchbox Twenty isn’t done and Rob Thomas’ solo career has been notably successful. Once wrote a column about this, but did it right by using bands such as Nine Days and Oleander. Half of these bands are still semi-prominent. (MTV)

The Champions League group stage draw was held today. And here are the pairings. (The Big Lead)

Bill O’Reilly watches porn. A writer reveals it nearly 30 years later. (The Phoenix)

Mariotti has been suspended from AOL. (Twitter)

If Conan wins Sunday at the Emmys, he’s not allowed to say what he wants. Kind of. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Bristol Palin joins The Situation and Kurt Warner as contestants on “Dancing With The Stars.” How long until she becomes “Mrs. Situation?” (Access Hollywood)

Will Forte is leaving “Saturday Night Live.” Get those resumes ready, funny people. (Entertainment Weekly)

What is going on with Timbaland, anyways? (All Hip-Hop)

...For The Ride Home: Al Gore was messin' around with Larry David's ex, Brandon Flowers' solo album and books

"Nobody ever had a dream 'round here, but I don't really mind that it's starting to get to me." We give you The Killers and an actual full-band live version of "Sam's Town" on this Tuesday. The day began awful, as I put my streak of 10 on the line with Portugal over Ivory Coast. Because of the draw, I now have no shot at $100,000. I was going to buy you all Swedish Fish, too. I now sit, cramming in as much work as I can on a day off. That's a bit of an oxymoron, isn't it? Oh, well. Game six of the NBA Finals is on tonight, and the goal is to be done with what I want to be done with by then. Here's hoping. Before I move on to all of that, though, I present you fabulous friends with the following links. Try saying that three times fast. Eat healthy, enjoy the summer air and please always try to stay away from mean people. They are the worst. Be good, now.

If you like to read, read this. Now. Has the Internet killed professional book reviews? (Popmatters)

As if you didn’t get enough of The Killers up top. An interview with Brandon Flowers regarding his upcoming solo album. Bonus: You can listen to his first single, too. (Spin)

Glenn Beck is mad at the Washington Post. Goodness, he’s annoying. (Yahoo)

Bloggers are whores. Or so says this lady. (Splice Today)

Oh boy. Miami’s Dade county is changing its name to Wade for the week. This whole NBA free agency class thing is getting out of hand. (Sports By Brooks)

Sexual pictures featuring….Betty White. (Dime Wars)

Seven reasons to root for a Game Seven tonight in Los Angeles. Really hope Boston clinches tonight. (Fox Sports)

Oh, none of us wanted to see this. The story behind Al Gore’s divorce involves him cheating on Tipper with Larry David’s ex-wife. (New York Daily News)

...For The Ride Home: Deaths at Bonnaroo and the CMA Fest, Tom Izzo needs to stop talking and the Tonys are good

We begin week 12 with Jennifer Carpenter because I came across without a doubt, the best episode of "Dexter" I've seen in my short history with the show. Kind of ruined her when I found out she's married to him in real life while she plays his sister on the show. Can't get over how fabulous that episode was last night, though. Goodness, gracious. You want to know what else was fabulous? Drawing with England Saturday afternoon. We stole one there, friends. Let no one fool you. That said, if we don't make it out of group play now, I may never watch soccer again. Anyways, welcome to the middle of June, or, as some may call it, the last week before the first week of summer. Does it feel like summer yet? Just wondering. I can't really decide on that particular question yet, myself. We need more sun. It seems like it's been raining just a tad bit too much. Ahh well. I suppose you can't complain too much as long as the snow isn't approaching astronomical heights. And I like the warm. It makes things sexier. Speaking of sexy, the links below are mighty sexy. You ought to check one of them out before jumping in on our HBO debate that is clearly set to tear the world apart. Don't forget to be nice, now.

Camp kid asks Tom Izzo if he’s going to coach the Cleveland Cavilers. Izzo turns kid down. Question: Why did LeBron not comment on Mike Brown and Danny Ferry being fired, yet he now wants the world to know he’d be happy with Izzo coaching the team? (ESPN)

Somebody died at Bonnaroo. Somebody also died at the CMA festival. Bad weekend for music lovers. (The Tennessean)

An interesting take on when the mass media localizes its sports coverage. Hello, ESPNBoston.com. How do you do? (National Sports Journalism Center)

University of Chicago students give life to a magazine known for its nudity. Silly college kids. (Chicago Tribune)

A vote for the Grammys learning a thing or two about how to run an awards ceremony…from the Tonys. Still would like to see “Memphis.” (New York Daily News)

What? You didn't think we’d link something pertaining to the U.S. soccer game? It did a 6.1 rating. Not bad, though it would have been nice had the number been just a little higher. Who’s in for Friday morning? (USA Today)

Conan O’Brien ends his tour tonight in Atlanta. Naturally, he stopped by TBS today to make some news. (TMZ)

Jack Kevorkian has no regrets about anything he’s ever done. Why is this reporter so scared? (CNN)