...For The Ride Home: Figuring out much online writers get paid, Brett Favre is awfully close to a mess and if John Lennon were still alive

I don't care what you are doing tonight. I don't care if you have plans you couldn't wait to come across for months. I don't care if it's going to be a first date. A blind date. A second, "well, we will be able to tell if this is going to work out after this" date. A night with your loved one. A night with your children. A night out with your boys. A night out with your girls. Call whoever it is you need to call and cancel those plans. Walk to the nearest bankrupt Blockbuster and rent this movie. Now. Rent it. If "Up In The Air" was 2009's 1A, this was 1B. Colin Firth is utterly captivating. Cap-ti-vating. Goodness, gracious. No wonder 2010's movies have sucked. 2009 was playing way above its own pay-grade. "Up In The Air." "A Single Man." "An Education." Hell, even "Crazy Heart" was probably better than anything out so far this year (and that's not to diminish "The Social Network" or "The Kids Are All Right," either). One more time. Go. Rent. This. Movie. OK. We say goodnight (because it means goodbye) to Week 28 differently, considering I plastered a movie poster up here rather than a nifty jingle to send you party animals into the party wild. Alas, I shall never let you down, though, as you will find a video at the bottom of this particular post. And while it may not be much of a jingle, it is far funnier than whatever the normal, well-adjusted people consider is funny. In fact, if there was a Venn Diagram for what is indeed is funny, this would be on it. Before you get to that video, though, you must power your way through the following links, links we offer for you fabulous people to ponder through an October weekend. We hope to see you back here bright eyed and bushy tailed Monday morning for more funtastic fun. Until then, though, enjoy a pretty autumn weekend, try to get a few more rounds of golf in before the weather becomes unbearable, and as always, love you, miss you.

Pretty much the most comprehensive roundup you’ll find today concerning all of this Brett Favre, Jenn Sterger, naked photos, sexual voice mails business. (The Big Lead)

Ohhh. So I guess I’ll have to begin checking for new “60 Minutes” podcasts now that a new season has begun, eh? (Detroit News)

Very, very interesting: How writers get paid on one of the bigger entertainment Web sites. $10 per thousand new visitors is a good place to start. (Business Insider)

And now Rick Sanchez says Jon Stewart is the classiest dude in the world. (ABC News)

The Page Six editor is leaving, and that caps off a shake-em-up week in the world of print media. Naturally, Donald Trump weighs in. (The Daily Beast)

I link this only because of my unrequited love for Genesis and Phil Collins. (Popmatters)

Elisabeth Hasselbeck is moving to “Good Morning America.” Has there ever been a more meteoric rise for someone who literally came from nowhere? (People)

Tomorrow would have been John Lennon’s 70th birthday. No word on whether or not he would have shown up on any of McCartney’s latest dates had he been alive. Somewhere, Ringo thanks God once again for being the luckiest man in the history of music. (USA Today)

Oh. Oh. I think I want to buy this. (Alternative Press)

...And if you don't think this is funny...

...For The Ride Home: Anderson Cooper has himself a new show, what the 'like' button really means and rest in peace Greg Giraldo

Why Phil Collins today, you ask? Well, after writing that Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame post yesterday, the lovely people at the Hall decided to follow us on Twitter (something you fantastic friends should do as well!). This, in turn - and because we are nice people - led us to start following them. The result? Well, today those fine people tweeted that on this day in rock history, Mr. Collins joined Genesis! That's right. Little did the world know that 40 years ago on this very day, the history of music would forever be rewritten as one (if not THE) greatest band in the storied history of the musical universe would undergo a lineup change. It's such a landmark day, you know. It's also a rainy day (at least at The Unusual Suspects world headquarters). And I like that. No. Wait. I love that. Rainy days are my favorite, and if I could only come across one during which I didn't actually have to work, my mind could be at ease. But alas, that's what we grown-up people do. Work hard for the money. Whether or not it is raining wherever you are, we suggest taking a few minutes to click on a link or two, check out our take on the latest and greatest NFL prank and cuddle up with a nice, loving lover. Because nice, loving lovers are the best. They really are.

Anybody out there see yesterday’s comments from Bubba Watson about this year’s Ryder Cup? Check this out and I dare you to tell us you aren’t rooting for the United States now. (ESPN)

Oh, wow. Don’t know if this is the right move. The Boston Globe will begin to offer two Web sites – one you have to pay for, the other will remain free. (Boston Globe)

Anderson Cooper is going to have a daytime talk show. And I’ll bet it’s good. (New York Times)

Recession-proof style. What more could you want? (GQ)

I admittedly know absolutely nothing about this kind of stuff. So this, to me, at least, is interesting: What the “like” button means in regards to Web traffic. (CNN)

So, someone from The XX is already putting out a solo album? Damn. Who do these dudes think they are? (Pitchfork)

Greg Giraldo died yesterday. That’s sad. (People)

Spencer and Heidi: Love perseveres. (TMZ)

...For The Ride Home: Rita's new show debuts tonight, the top 10 love triangles and the Boston Celtics are funny

Landed a phone interview with the particular gentleman you see to the left. For those of you who do not know, this is Brandon Flowers, the lead singer of a band called The Killers. He recently put out a solo record and because one of the 52 jobs I have allows me to speak with big stars on occasion, I will be dialing his number within the next few weeks (something you may not know: These things takes for-ev-er to finally come to fruition). I bring this up why, you ask? Well, I need questions. Because I am certain whatever interaction we have, I will probably write about on this here blog, I figured it would be nice to extend the invitation to see if anyone out there has ever wanted to ask Mr. Flowers a question. And please, friends: No Killers questions. He's promoting his solo album. The band will be back in 2011. He's not going to want to talk about it. You know where to leave them, and as always, any words are incredibly appreciated. Anyways, welcome to Tuesday. I can't stop sleeping. It's odd, actually. I'm certain it has to do with the season and the rain, but it's still unsettling. Back to the gym next month and then that shall change. This week? Well, this week means more sleep and bad food than one could ever dream of. Oh, well, sleep, bad food, and blogging, of course. Here's hoping you have a wonderful rest of the day as you check out a couple links below, and until tomorrow, do not forgot to keep your bathrooms clean. Because when they get messy, boy do they get messy.

The Boston Celtics are becoming lovable. They really are. (The Big Lead)

Phil Collins has another No. 1 record. And on the day when the exclusive club his band was let in a mere year ago announces finalists for its next class (more on that tomorrow). (BBC)

Congratulations are in order to CBS for winning seven news Emmys. (Broadcasting & Cable)

David Simon, who used to work at the Baltimore Sun and, more importantly, created “The Wire,” wins “Genius” award. Yay! (Baltimore Sun)

Finally got around to catching up on this season’s first episode of “30 Rock” last night. Brilliant. In related news, Jenna touches on the live “30 Rock” that’s set to take place in a couple weeks. Should be interesting. (Popeater)

The Tampa Bay Rays are one of the best teams in baseball and nobody in Tampa cares. It’s sad. (ESPN)

The top 10 love triangles. When “Casablanca” is mentioned, I’m listening. (Time)

This show starts tonight. We root because Rita is in it. Can’t think it lasts more than four episodes. (New York Daily News)

...For The Ride Home: Vincent Chase makes a movie about celebrities, Fox News controls the world and is 'Family Guy' in trouble?

Who could have ever thunk this guy would ever be lauded as heroic for his actions? Not this particular blogger. Episode 10 brought it last night, and it was met with a gigantic "It's about time," from, well, me, and those who I speak with about such things. We finally saw the "Mad Men" crew pick up the action on last night's episode as Don lets yet another individual in on his deepest, darkest secret. Dude was shook. He clearly couldn't take the thought of losing everything, which must lead us to ask the following question: Exactly how confident and how sure is the real Don Draper (or, well, Dick Whitman)? He exudes such emotions on a consistent basis so much that it's simply weird to see him act the way he did last night (the acting, though, was utterly incredible. Who says Jon Hamm isn't one of the best in the game?). Betty, on the other hand, came across in the same light as Mr. Campbell - nice. They both went to bat for Don when both of them clearly had the chance to bring everything he's worked for down. Oddly enough (and because the "Mad Men" writers are smarter and better at what they do for a living than most of us), they were also the two people who could have benefited the most from Don going away for good. Or could they? Joanie and Roger's saga continues, and to be completely honest, I was hoping Joan would have kept it. Something within me still longs for those two to be together permanently. And Lane! Oh, Lane, you poor, poor thing. He just needs to catch a break. Any break. As always, comments, thoughts, arguments are encouraged in the section so designed to display such a thing, and as always, I'll be checking back throughout the day to partake in such an activity. For now, though, hello Week 27, and hello links.

A 25 year old and a 26 year old land jobs at The New Yorker. I will now proceed to drink until Thursday. (Splitsider)

Vinnie Chase made a movie! Vinnie Chase made a movie! (Popmatters)

This writer left The Huffington post because she wasn’t getting paid. That seems fair, right? (Mayhill Flower)

Fox News holds all the clout in political media. In related, “Oh my goodness, I can’t believe this is true” news, seasonal change can bring upon seasonal sicknesses such as colds, sore throats or ear infections. (Politico)

A little late on this, but it’s still sad: Max Weinberg will not be back with Conan when he starts his new show. (Rolling Stone)

Mindy Kaling: Still one of the funniest women on television (Twitter)

My God, Peyton Manning is good. (Yahoo)

Is this the beginning of the end for “Family Guy?” (Hollywood Reporter)

Your “Mad Men” recap, friends. (Entertainment Weekly)

Network TV be bringing the A-game this season

You know it's funny, when I was a teenager, I thought network TV was awful. Back then, had you given me a choice on any given day, I would have taken MTV over ABC, CBS or NBC without hesitation (Fox was still a fringe channel at the time). Come to think of it, I don't remember a single piece of television during my formative teenage years that didn't involve the words Real, World, Road or Rules.

How did I turn out even moderately well adjusted?

Anyways, so here we are, midway through week one of the new network television season, and I have to say - so far so good. Here are a few of the high points from what I was able to catch:

"The Event"
Anytime a show has this much hype, it's gotta be bad, right? I mean, those teasers bordered on laughable at times with the whole "this show is so mysterious thing." I have to say though, I liked episode one. The show jumps around a lot and has a "Lost" meets "24" vibe. Jason Ritter is really good (although he looks a little creepy to me), the rest of the cast is good (but someone please tell Ritter's girlfriend to eat something) and the cliffhanging storyline really has me looking forward to next week. Just make sure you're situated when you sit down to watch it - if you miss even a minute you might be left behind.



"Modern Family"
The season premier was just like every other episode - hilarious, heartwarming and over too soon. Phil and Claire's crew prepare for the sale of the old family station wagon, Cam, Mitchell and Jay build a castle and Gloria competes with Manny's latest love interest - need I say more? With characters like these the jokes write themselves. This is the one show on television that makes me laugh out loud multiple times.



"House"
Ok, I think everyone has mixed reviews of this one. The episode took place immediately after House and Cuddy return to his place after they lose the patient in last season's finale, and as expected, they get together... and keep "getting together" throughout the entire episode. At one point, I swear the director was telling the camera guys, "All right, $50 for whoever can come the closest to showing Cuddy's lady parts on natioanl television." I root for House and Cuddy, the couple - I have no clue how it would ever work though. Damn you for being right again House... Also, the 13 story intrigues me, despite the fact that she wouldn't do you know what with you know who. Come on! They would make some beautiful babies with AWESOME accents, am I right?



Other random comments:
1. "Law & Order SVU" needs to stop. 2. Did anyone watch "Mike and Molly" by chance? The lead character (Billy Gardell) is really funny but I didn't catch the show. 3. "Mike and Molly" notwithstanding, CBS could stop being a network and I would not even blink. I just can't get into anything on that channel. Sorry "Big Bang Theory" fans. 4. Can't wait for "30 Rock," hope you're with me. 5. The Hoff is off... of "Dancing With The Stars" that is. America and I collectively rejoice. 6. Was it just me, or did "Biggest Loser" seem extra cruel this week? I haven't been that uncomfortable since... (insert "Family Guy" flashback scene here). 7. Jimmy Smits: what are you thinking with this new show "Outlaw?" You're ruining whatever cred you earned after Dexter.

I watch too much TV.

See you at 4 p.m. for you Ride Home links. xoxoxo

...For The Ride Home: John Mayer quits Twitter, the New York Jets say goodbye to a Super Bowl run and Penelope Cruz is pregnant

Hope to sit down with this tonight. Woody was up for an Academy Award last year for his performance, so it's got to be good, right? I hate having those "well, I kind of want to watch this only because I know I should watch this and there is a possibility I may really like it, but not love it" kind of movies come through Netflix. It seems I've come through a patch of those types, too. Hello, Tuesday. First and foremost, I must apologize on behalf of this blog's other brain. He seemingly fell out of touch with his schedule and was unable to offer anything to you lovely, pretty faces this morning. Send all of your hate mail to him. That said, though, I will more than make up for today's lack of a post tomorrow when I offer up the big, old comprehensive review of this year's Video Music Awards. And when I say it's going to be long, goodness, it's going to be long. Promise. Until we get to tomorrow, though, we must offer up these links for your reading pleasure, and relay our most sincere wishes that you and yours have a lovely middle-of-September evening. Enjoy it, friends. The warm days are slowly disappearing.

Oh, when it rains, it pours. Kris Jenkins is out for the rest of the season after last night’s loss to the Ravens. Now, there’s even talk of his career being in jeopardy. (ESPN)

Jay-Z and Eminem began their stint in New York last night. Who wants to make the trip for tonight’s finale with me? (MTV)

Interesting: Reporters and the notion of outing somebody who is gay. Not quite sure what to make of the dude from ESPN. (Bay Area Reporter)

Fox News executive winds up on airplane with three pretty big-name news anchors. Fox News executive complains. (New York Times)

Penelope Cruz is pregnant. Good for her. Watch “Vicky, Christina, Barcelona” tonight. Tonight. (People)

Mike Scioscia thinks the Major League Baseball season should be cut from 162 games to 158. How about, like, 94? (Bleacher Report)

John Mayer quits Twitter. Sad to see him go, actually. We linked a few Tweets from him, I believe. Dude can be funny when he doesn’t get in his own way. Yes, I know we just lost 50 cool points for admitting that. (New York Daily News)

Vince Vaughn and Kevin James are going to tour together. Hmm. (Pollstar)

...For The Ride Home: Burger King is up for sale, CBS News to lay off tons of more workers and Eminem finally falls from the top

So, this sits on my DVD player in a Netflix envelope, waiting to be placed into the movie-playing device. Opened it to find it runs nearly two-and-a-half hours. That kind of got in the way. One billion doubts about this movie, but we will see how it turns out, I suppose. Matt Damon. Morgan Freeman. Have to trust them, right? Anyways, welcome to Wednesday, and, more importantly, welcome to September. That's correct, friends. School is back in session for most every high school and, I think (though it seems like it's been decades since I've been there) some colleges even. The leaves will begin to turn. The weather will get colder. The days become shorter. The fall depresses me. No, honestly. That can be a post someday. But it does. It's going to be hard to get through the next few months. Still frantically trying to catch myself up on 437 things that need to be caught up on before this weekend, so for the second straight day in a row, I must cut this paragraph short. But that doesn't mean I don't love you. Besides, it should give you some extra time to reflect back on the "Dancing With The Stars" cast, and the decision to keep Bob Bradley as coach of the United States Men's Soccer Team. And we all know how much you'd like to put that time to use. So go, friends, go!

First and foremost (and because it’s always good to keep this in the family): A collection of art for you to check out. And it’s even on Blogspot to boot! (Portfolio)

So, about that new show on FX based around Louis CK… Here’s a commentary. (Popmatters)

The Washington Post is going to put out an iPad app. And people seem to really care. (Yahoo)

If you work at CBS News, update your resume. (The Daily Beast)

This is long, but it’s a fantastic read. Yes, TMZ has changed everything. Everything. And, as something I’ve been saying now for quite a while, they get it first. Yes, they may pay for the news, and yes, they brake hundreds of ethics codes, but they get it first, and they get it right. There’s something to be said for that. (Village Voice)

Mo Williams and LeBron kiss. Make up. (Deadspin)

So, who wants to buy Burger King and shut every single one down in the world with me? (Forbes)

Conan names his new show after himself. How egotistical! (ABC News)

Katy Perry ends Eminem’s run at the top. Dude had a good run. Actually, a great run during these days. Irony: Finally received my copy of Recovery in the mail today, too. (Billboard)

...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: Trouble for "Wait, Wait," the trailer for Joaquin Phoenix's movie hits the Web and a great photographer dies

I woke up this morning with this song rummaging through my head over and over. Full disclosure: I love Train. Like, really love Train. Like, love Train more than some dude should. The night I got home from vacation, I bought a bottle of wine and watched their concert DVD. No kidding, even. I'm really hoping they come around my part of the woods in a not-opening-for-John-Mayer-slot. And that's only because I want to see them play a longer set than a mere opening 30 minutes. Wow, I can't believe I admitted to all of that. This song? Eh. The whole "I'm not in it to win it..." line is cheese at its best, and the track as a whole feels a bit too contrived even for me, someone who just spent the better half of a paragraph explaining my love for the band. Anyways, I'll move away from that now. Welcome to Tuesday, friends. Did you cast your vote for a man's hairstyle yet? You really ought to, you know. So far, we are at clean shaven and short hair - 2, and no shave with longer hair - 0. As the world is grips itself to see who wins this competition, we'd like to offer up a few links for you, the wonderfully talented and pretty reader to look over. Why? Because we love you. That's why, silly.

Jason Whitlock leaves the Kansas City Star. The real news here is the fact that the rumor of a show on HBO is being floated. (The Big Lead)

“Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” is probably my favorite NPR show, and any time they take a stance on something, I must stand firmly behind them. And this is all over the phrase, “For God’s sake,” too. (Star-Telegram)

Arkansas radio reporter wears Florida Gators hat to news conference. Arkansas radio reporter gets fired. (USA Today)

Herman Leonard, the man who took some of those iconic photos of pretty much every jazz great ever, died. He was 87. (Pollstar)

And now Method Man and Tila Tequila can forever be linked together. (TMZ)

So, this Joaquin Phoenix movie is supposed to justify all of that erratic behavior his has showcased in the last few years, right? (New York Magazine)

A closer look at the girl who producers chose for the lead in “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.” (New York Times)

This is kind of funny. After Sunday, she’s slowly creeping her way into my conscious. (Twitter)

...For The Ride Home: How 'This American Life' finds stories, Clooney's new project and the juggalos strike again

How does January Jones still collect a pay check from "Mad Men?" Can someone please explain that to me. She's been in 18 minutes of this entire season so far. So, last night, we see Alison walk out on Don, a move we knew had to come eventually. The odd part, though, was the fallout and Don's apparent desire to want her back. Best part of the episode (aside from watching Peggy spy on Don over the wall, as you can read more about if you follow the link below)? Don sitting down to write a letter to his former secretary and watching him type the sentence, "My life has been very..." before stopping and throwing the paper away. Pete's going to have a baby now, and the final scene that shows him and Peggy staring each other down was just fantastic. And speaking of Peggy, it's about time she ventured out away from that loser of a boyfriend she has. Clearly the girl has already reserved her seats at Woodstock in four years after seeing her begin to hang out with all of those forward-thinking folks. And as if this particular review hasn't been Peggy-heavy enough already, it must be noted that she had the line of the show when told that her boyfriend doesn't "own her vagina." "He may not own it," she says, "but he does rent it." Crude yet tasteful. In any case, what shall happen next week? Anybody think Alison will come back? It doesn't appear to be all that likely. Will Peggy leave the agency to become a bit of a beatnik? Will Don find a new secretary (there's no way he stays with that old lady)? Oh, so much to ponder. Before we find those answers, though, we must offer the following links to kick off Week 21. Be good, now, you hear.

Whitney Cummings killed at The Hoff’s roast last night. Though this isn’t the funniest thing she said, it’s certainly the one that’s getting the most headlines. (Deadspin)

“This American Life” and finding stories. If you like NPR, you’ll love this. (Washington Post)

Rupert Murdoch has never succeeded in any digital adventure. Interesting. (Newser)

How the hell did this girl land this role over Carey Mulligan, Ellen Page and Mia Wasikowska? There’s no way I’m going to see this movie now! (MTV)

The obligatory Tila Tequila incident over the weekend link. Some would say her getting out of there alive would be a “Miracle.” (Dimewars)

As mentioned up top: A vote for Peggy spying on Don as the best part of last night’s “Mad Men.” (Entertainment Weekly)

Some people seem to have a problem with Ms. Linney’s new show. I’m still looking for a way to find an episode online (Help, anyone?). Yes, it’s about cancer, and yes, it’s aimed at making people laugh. But it’s Laura Linney. How could it possibly be bad? (CBS News)

George Clooney as Frank Sinatra. Angelina Jolie as Marilyn Monroe. That’s all. (Hollywood)

...For The Ride Home: Spencer is now a director, Pippen enters the Hall this weekend and Snooki wants to own Snooki

We send off the nice, round number of Week 20 with a cool, calm and collected Jack Johnson and a performance of the fabulous "Flake." And it's even on the now-obscurely-old-and-longtime-canceled talk show hosted by now-annoyingly-famous Zack Galifianakis, to boot! I watched "The Kite Runner" last night, and after a midnight run and rewrites on stories I'm working on, it was a nice way to wind down my evening, or, well, my late-night. I cried twice. Again, much like my reaction to "Outsourced," it delights me tremendously to find that I bought a movie I actually enjoy. That's two for two now in the "buying movies I've never known anything about that turn out not bad" category. Word is this was a book. Can anyone out there either confirm or deny such an allegation? If so, is the book any good? Tonight seems to be a "Crazy Heart" kind of night, though we shall see how that works out. As for the rest of the weekend, well there a few things bolstered down, though it seems as though it may rain through the days. Rain, something I love. What are your plans? Going to see a movie? Maybe be by a beach? Date nights? Come on, now. There ought to be something wonderful in your sights. If not, I suggest sitting in front of a television that won't be consumed with football for one of the last times the next six months will allow. Still don't like that? OK. How about you check out the Premier League's kickoff weekend. That's sure to not disappoint, though you admittedly would have to wake in the early hours of the morning on a Saturday. Promise it would be worth it, though. Honestly. Before you find yourself encompassed in any of that, we offer the below links for you to ponder before diving into a middle-of-August weekend. Treat others well, and please don't forget my dear, dear friends, love you, miss you.

Woke up to find Bob Bradley out as the U.S. men’s soccer coach (I believe I had that one). Only to find that he’s not out and talks are on-going. The saga continues. (Washington Post)

Spencer from “The Hills” is directing a movie. Insert “reality television isn’t real” comment here. (Twitter)

How great is this? PBS ombudsman wants to “grab a beer and hit the escape chute” after seeing some PBS programming. (PBS)

“Warning: Medical claims in this article have not been confirmed by peer-review research.” You NEED to check these out. Funny with a capital "Unny." (Tom Scott)

Thirty-five percent less was spent on press travel for White House coverage this year. That just seems like so much, doesn’t it? What were they doing before? Bringing entire families on the road with them? (Media Matters)

Ellen is going to be on “So You Think You Can Dance.” Well, that’s good. (Dimewars)

In the wake of Scottie Pippen entering the basketball Hall of Fame this weekend, here are 10 current day players who would most likely be Mike’s sidekick these days. (Bleacher Report)

Ut oh. The “Twilight” kids are at it again. (People)

Snooki wants “Snooki” trademarked. In it’s response, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office said no. And your show sucks. (USA Today)

...For The Ride Home: More on this LeBron story, Ellen and Kara out on "Idol" and we'll see y'all in a week!

A hell of an afternoon. Such is the life we live in. We send Week 18 off into the twilight with a picture of a beach. Why? That's because, yes, though we love you, the two of us will both be somewhere far, far away on vacation all of next week. This will be a bit of a departure from the vacation I recently took, in which the other half of this operation stayed with you by offering his usual two posts a week. This time around, we will both be gone, thus leaving you with a blank space in your heart for a week. I know, I know. How many vacations could I possibly need? Answer: Whatever the amount, it's not enough. This doesn't mean we both don't still love you, and, for that matter, we pray we see you back here in a week, ready and excited as ever. We promise there will be no more vacations for a very long time after this. Pinky swear, in fact. So alas, we leave you lovely, attractive readers with the following links to hold you over until a week from Monday, a date I believe is August 9th. Until then, please, please keep in mind that no matter how many breaks we may take, or how far away we may be, as always, love you, miss you.

This makes me laugh every time I read it. (Twitter)

More on this LeBron James story that I find fascinating. Also, this is exactly why The Big Lead is my favorite blog on the planet: A real in depth look at how things probably happened for those who don’t know about how these things happen. (The Big Lead)

Five things you should know before dating a journalist. “Yes, we think we’re smarter than you.” So, so great and so, so true. (Rock My Car)

As I’m certain you all heard: Ellen is out. Kara’s probably out. Looks like J-Lo and Steven Tyler are in at “Idol.” (Rolling Stone)

Very good idea. Taking the WikiLeaks stories and making them your own. (Columbia Journalism Review)

Wacky news agency hangs it up after three decades. Where are we going to get our “A bear walks into a bar…” stories? (AOL)

Sandy’s pissed. She needs to catch a break. Just one. (E! Online)

Ten cities perfect for young adults. Just can’t agree with Lansing, Michigan. (Yahoo)

“I Gotta Feeling” is nearing the six million mark in downloads. What is wrong with you people! (Pollstar)

Turns out Matt LeBlanc has gray hair, and has had gray hair. I don’t see anything wrong with this. Why did he dye it before? Gray is such a nice look. (USA Today)

...For The Ride Home: College newspapers cannot do the Web well, "Idol" is awfully close to making a huge mistake and a media fight!

Soul Week continues with one of the greatest songs ever written, Otis Redding's "Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay." A legend, the man was. Fun fact: The whistling at the end was supposed to be a rap that was originally written for the man to sing. Because he forgot the words, he decided to fill in the spot by whistling, and the take turned out so good, everyone decided to keep it. The Unusual Suspects: Your source for all fun facts. So how do you do? It's Wednesday in July. That means the middle of the week is here and now it's all downhill, right? Poking around the InterWebs, I never fully realized how slow of a time the summer months can be for news. Two years ago, the presidential election was heating up, so that provided a bunch of entertainment, but aside from that, I can't recall a stretch between June and August that typically has earth-shattering/intriguing news. And sports? Goodness, the summer's a bad time for sports. It's baseball, and more baseball. I'm even a bit eager for the college football season to begin, and I can't remember feeling like that in a long time. In any case, before we get to any non-summer related instances, we must first complete the summer. And as you do that, we would be honored to offer up a few links for you to check out. Besides. What else do you have to do? Go see "Inception?"

OK. This was brought to my attention last night, and if we weren’t fully immersed in Soul Week, it would have been the top video. First, follow this link. Then, follow the link at the end. If this isn’t some of the funniest stuff you’ve ever seen, I don’t know how much I could help you in the future. (Funny Or Die)

Jason Whitlock attacks Mitch Albom. Like, really, really, attacks him. (The Big Lead)

Taylor Swift is going to release a new record in October. Was really hoping to run into her recently. Didn’t happen. She still kind of looks like a rat. But I still love her. (Pollstar)

An entire newspaper’s sports section staff walks out on newspaper. Silly sportswriters. (SB Nation)

Very, very, very, very true. College newspapers in print form are great. Online versions of the paper? Not so much. But why? (The Huffington Post)

Chris Isaak may replace Simon on “Idol.” This is such a bad move. Harry Connick Jr. is clearly the answer here. (On The Red Carpet)

Sarah Palin does not approve of her daughter’s engagement. Really? We thought she would have already picked out a church. (The Celebrity Café)

An argument for the death of compact discs. Interesting. (CNN)

...For The Ride Home: A funny writer says funny things, Mike weighs in on LeBron and Soul Week kicks off!

Good news! Week 17 is going to be our second themed week! Two exclamation points means business. For those of you who may remember, we first did such a thing here at The Ride back in April, when the showcased a video featuring the lovely Norah Jones each day. This time, and because no, I will not share the gamillions of stories I came by during my week away from you, the always-loved reader, we offer Soul Week, a week dedicated to soul music. Each day's Ride will contain a video that features various artists rooted in what everyone who knows me knows is my favorite kind of music: Soul music. This begins to today with (by my calculations) the fifth greatest song to ever be written and recorded in all of music (rock, pop, country, hip-hop, polka, etc.), Johnnie Taylor's "Who's Makin' Love." If only more videos of these artists existed, I would post live versions of these songs much like we did with Ms. Jones. But alas, such things are few and far between. Soooooo, with that behind us, how are you? How have you been? Did you miss me? Yeah, I didn't quite think you did. My friends always tell me how I should take vacations and how much I deserve/need them, but I don't think I've ever invested in that notion until now. It was so nice to press the reset button, make 5,000 memories, remove myself from the entire world (and this, I learned, also provided me with the time I most enjoyed not having a cellular phone), and stumble upon some of those rare slices of life you can only be so lucky to encounter every now and then. Goodness. Listen to me. I sound like a Christmas card. In any case, it's good to be back, and as July continues to fly by on this muggy Monday, take some time to check out a few links, enjoy the first installment of Soul Week and watch the season premiere of "Mad Men" again. Be nice.

Yes, sir. Michael Jordan says LeBron is stupid for playing in Miami with the overrated Chris Bosh, the bound-to-be-underutilized Dwayne Wade and Mr. James’ personal butler, Big Z. Have to love Mike. (New York Post)

Twenty questions with Gene Weingarten. If you care at all about newspapers or feature/humor writing in general, you really ought to check this out. Funny: “Q: You feel best in Armani or Levis or? A: Natalie Portman.” (Popmatters)

Geeky, but I have to offer it up. A list of winners for this year’s Alt Weekly awards. (Alt Weeklies)

Wasn’t able to get back in time last night to check out the first episode of this season so no spoilers please. That said, this guy talks about revealing too much when writing about the best show AMC will ever see. (Variety)

There was only one thing news story that leaked into my peripheral while I was gone and it was completely by accident. Here’s a discussion concerning the idea of George Steinbrenner being in baseball’s Hall of Fame. Think what you want about him, but I came across a priceless quote he once offered: “If you do something nice for someone, and more than two individuals know about it, then it wasn’t worth it.” (The Big Lead)

Tiger’s former mistress is going to be on the next installment of “Celebrity Rehab.” So, what’s the definition of celebrity again? (ABC News)

Glenn Beck is going blind. This one’s too easy. (Kansas City.com)

Comic Con begins this week. I only know what Comic Con is because of “Entourage.” Victory! (Washington Post)

Because I was gone and couldn’t link it then. Jason Whitlock’s take on LeBenedict. Dude got booed at the ESPYs? (Fox Sports)

...For The Ride Home: New Pee-Wee Herman movie, Billy Corgan is maaaaaaad and yes, the concert business is dying

Gave this movie a shot last night. It's John Krasinski's directorial debut. Also, unbeknownst to me, it features two "Wire" alumni. It's bad. Really wanted to like it. It's an IFC movie, so it has all the indie credibility, and it has a boatload of recognizable figures. But it's simply too scatterbrained. The movie tries to be too smart - in a smuggier than smug way, mind you - and it becomes overbearing. And I like smug and smart. This just didn't work, though. And it's not really funny. This was supposed to be a funny movie. It's not funny. It was, however, the first time you don't see Jim Halpert while looking at Krasinski (even though you have to suffer through the first hour and ten minutes to get there). In any case, welcome to Thursday, the beginning of July and, well, the first day of the rest of your life. How do you do? Good? That's good. Does it seem a bit cooler outside than it's been, or is it just me? Come on, now. It's July. I want 1,000-degree weather, damnit. Had a fabulous dinner last night as I warmed up some spaghetti, turned on side A of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and sat at the dinner table with nothing else going on. It was peaceful. Honestly. It was. That said, before you try and emulate a nice dinner of your own tonight, take a quick look at the following links, leave some nice book suggestions for my partner who clearly isn't literate and try to take a walk. They are romantic.

Kate Gosselin is going to record a holiday album. I’m not even going to make a snarky remark after that. (Popeater)

Billy Corgan walks off stage after hecklers shout at him during the first show of this latest club tour the Smashing Pumpkins are doing. Songs sacrificed? “Today” and “Freak.” (Spin)

Stephen A. Smith leaves The Philadelphia Inquirer. Again. This is the second time within the last two years. He says he’s got bigger and better things. Like what? “Quite Frankly 2” on Spike TV? (Philly.com)

First Larry King. Now Anderson Cooper? (The Wrap)

Police reopen the sexual assault case against Al Gore. It can’t have any weight, can it? (Wall Street Journal)

Judd Apatow will produce a new Pee-Wee Herman movie. Tentative title? “Knocked Up.” (Access Hollywood)

I’m going to keep linking these types of stories. It fascinates me how quickly the summer concert business crumbled. (Pollstar)

The top five goals of the World Cup so far. Headlined, of course, by Landon Donovan. (The Big Lead)

...For The Ride Home: The Tonys are this weekend, Jay-Z remixes M.I.A., a day in the life of Hanson and the World Cup begins

Write these words back down!!!! Goodness, four exclamation points. Need to start the weekend off correctly, and it's hard to think of a better way than this classic Thursday tune. "Full Collapse" is one of the great (not good, great) records of the last decade. Still can't understand all the comparisons to Morrissey and The Smiths when they first hit. Silly music critics. Who needs them, right? We bring week 11 to a close with happiness. Why is that, you ask? Two reasons. One, the World Cup has officially kicked off. And two, we saw record numbers again this week. You make our hearts full of love. Love for you, the fantastically attractive reader. The only thing left that this week could offer is an American win tomorrow afternoon (coverage begins at 1:30. Watch it or be deported). Before we can move forward, though, we must offer these links and suggest you take a look at at least two-and-a-half of them. Also, if you'd like to join our conversation on this consistent flow of remade films, we'd love that as well. Either way, enjoy June, share a kiss or two and don't forget, dear, dear friends, love you, miss you.

Mexico had to rally late to draw with South Africa. Almost got excited. France/Uruguay is going to be an awfully interesting match to watch. (ESPN)

Jay-Z remixed M.I.A.’s “XXXO.” Check it out. (On Smash)

Slate wants to find better words to use in social commentary. Words up for discussion: “Tweet” and “Like.” Amen. (Slate)

Somebody says he can make Newsweek profitable again with 18 months. Honestly? (Business Insider)

We tried telling you about Coco and Jack White in Nashville. We tried. (Rolling Stone)

Hanson has been around for 18 years? Holy mmmbop. Neat read, especially if you root for these dudes, kind of like we do. (Popeater)

Angelina Jolie will play Cleopatra in a bio pic. Keep hearing “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” is pretty good. Is it? (CBS 8)

Jan Jones was in a car accident. That’s what you get when you mess around on Don Draper. (Fox News)

The Tonys are this weekend. You ought to give it a glance if you can. Here’s a writer who thinks “American Idiot” has a shot at making some noise. (Los Angeles Times)

Also this weekend? Bonnaroo. If you happen to be in Tennessee this weekend, well, yeah. You get it. (The Celebrity Café)

...For The Ride Home: Steve Nash to work for World Cup, Tom Cruise is likable again and Anna Kendrick

Hello, hello. We kick off week 11 with a short ride. Going to spend the majority of the day on the road, so we needed to make sure we were still able to provide you with a proper send off into the rest of the day. Up top, you will see a commercial for MTV's movie awards that were held last night. The beginning of the show had Tom Cruise recreate his impossibly funny character from "Tropic Thunder," as you will see if you follow a link below. And if you don't want to click the link below, you can play the video above and laugh until you puke. In any case, enjoy the following tidbits, and don't forget to check back tomorrow for one of the last signs of summer. Be good, now.

Swimming with sharks saves lives. There is something inherently wrong with that headline. (CNN)

Can't decide on this outfit from Anna Kendrick. Love her times a gabillion, though. Lifetime pass for "Up In The Air." (TMZ)

Hey, this is neat. Steve Nash will work the World Cup for CBS. (Bleacher Report)

Know we are late on this, but it happened Friday night, and it can't be ignored. The greatest basketball coach to ever live, John Wooden, died. Here is Michael Wilbon's take on the Wizard. (Washington Post)

"Tropic Thunder" is the funniest movie of the last three years. Can't say that enough. Tom Cruise brought his brilliantly funny character to last night's movie awards. Why does he have to be so hatable? (Popeater)

How great is this? Kobe doesn't give a "bleep" about where LeBron James ends up. Fabulous. (Fox Sports)

...For The Ride Home: Love Ms. Williams' response to her recent unfortunate incident, a Temptation dies and food critic pays with food stamps

Can't get this song out of my head. There was a time in my life that "Odyssey No. 5" from Powderfinger was easily one of the three best records I had ever heard in the history of forever. Still might be, actually. If not, you can't go lower than 10. Front to back, it is one of the rare "complete" albums ever made, if you know what I mean. Can't imagine there's anyone out there who knows who these guys are, or gives any type of a poop about them, but if there is, let's run away and get married right now. Bumped into one of their crew members not too long ago in a bar (yes, he was Australian, which proved he wasn't lying, duh), and it made my month/decade. Unfortunately, he had nothing but horror stories about the guys in the band, and called the lead singer a name not fit to print on such a blog as this. Numerous times, actually. Still can't ruin that record, though. Never. Anyways, we are back! That was said with excitement, which was why an exclamation point was used. Week 10 and we are still kicking. Got way too sunburned over the weekend and even suffered from a bit of poisoning, I have now concluded. More on that tomorrow, though. June is here, so that means summer must be right around the corner (that is, if you don't already feel summer-y). We sincerely hope that each one of you had a fantastic holiday weekend, and we also sincerely hope that you find yourself back here, ready and eager to click on some neat links. Because if you happen to not be, well, then you probably aren't reading this particular post, and that's heartbreaking. Be good, and remember: This holiday means tomorrow is the official middle of the week. How quick that went.

See, this is funny. Have to root for Ms. Paramore now. Have to. (Twitter)

Which do you think Sidney Crosby would rather have? The opportunity to still be playing this season (Stanley Cup finals), or signing on to become the richest man on ice since Scott Hamilton? Either way, he’s about to experience one of those things, and we bet you can guess which one it is. (The Hockey News)

A look at the life of an unemployed restaurant critic. Ironic: He is now forced to use food stamps. (Seattle Times)

When you’re old and decrepit like us, the occasional story about a college newspaper makes you remember being young and interesting. University fires adviser. Staff keeps him aboard. Great stuff. (Sun Sentinel)

Ali-Ole Woodson, a member of the Temptations, died Sunday. Sure, he wasn’t an original member, but hey, they Temptations are the Temptations. (Contact Music)

Avril Lavigne’s boyfriend saved her life, consequently making things less complicated. In related news. Sum 41 will be appearing on the Pacific Sun/Hot Topic stage three miles from the Warped Tour parking lot closest to you. (ShowbizSpy)

Celebrity Rehab can’t find enough celebrities to go to rehab. Honestly? That’s like going to an Arena Football League game and not being able to find enough players to sit the bench in the NFL. Work harder, VH1. (TMZ)

Dennis Hopper died. And now it gets ugly. (San Jose Mercury News)

...For The Ride Home: My goodness 50 Cent, Willie Nelson cuts his hair and be sure to add Elmo on Twitter

"Everybody's Fine" was...I don't know. It's hard to imagine anyone my age liking it for the first 60 to 70 minutes. It's a bit hollow. It's missing depth. But once that last half-hour picks up, and the movie winds down, it's pretty good. The movie itself is the true definition of "OK, there is really going to have to be a good ending to consider this movie not bad on any level." I cried twice. But I can cry at puppy dogs, so that shouldn't be a good indicator. Rent it? Probably not. If you happen to be flipping through the channels late one night, there is nothing else on, and you see the movie is already half-way done, you might as well give it a shot. Anything else, you may consider a waste of time. How could I possible follow that up? I watched the first three chapters of the R. Kelly "Trapped In The Closet" series, which is why chapter one is above. It's just so neat! And I'll stand by that now and forever. It's guilty pleasure No. 419. And finally, today is our two month anniversary!! Notice two exclamation points. Naturally, we'd like to thank you, the incredibly attractive reader, for coming back as much as you have, and helping us grow. To show our appreciation, check back tomorrow for a brand new fun feature. In the meantime, groove to some Kells up top, struggle with the sport of golf, much like we do, and check out a few links below. It's Thursday, friends. The weekend is near.

Thought about posting these pictures to accompany this post, but realized it may scare you away. This is how 50 Cent looks today. Honestly. And it’s alarming. (The Superficial)

Newsweek has a new Web site. Does this mean the magazine won’t go under? (Newsweek)

Speaking of changes, get ready for some when it comes to The Hollywood Reporter. Janice Min has ideas. (Los Angeles Times)

Ohhh, Lisa, Lisa. Our heart aches that “American Idol” is over and this will be the last recap. Crystal gets to sing with Alanis Morissette; they duet her tune "You Oughta Know" which produces the best lyric change in the history of "American Idol." The lyric: “Would she go down on you in a theater?” becomes “Would she go down with you to the theater?” They hug each other after pulling that off. (Washington Post)

Willie Nelson cut his hair. Is it weird that I actually wondered to myself when he would ever do that the other day? (CBS News)

The United States national team met and spoke with Joe Biden today. Jason Sudeikis’ impressions of him on SNL make me laugh. (TMZ)

Remember when we told you Limp Bizkit were reuniting and touring? Yeah, they apparently have to move the venues. Next step? Cancel the tour. (Limp Bizkit)

Elmo tweets. (Twitter)

...For The Ride Home: Paula is coming back to "Idol," Joe Jonas is mean to Demi Lovato and the return of Must-See TV

Woke up. Took a jog. Cleaned. Did work. Spoke on the phone for lengthy periods of time, and check my e-mail only to find a criticizing note left from the other half of this blog regarding the notion that no one cares about fashion, and why I wrote such a thing was beyond him (but not exactly in those words, of course). Absolutely offended, I will now post this picture of Carey Mulligan at Cannes to spite him, and mention that you could have seen this picture had you followed one of the links on the aforementioned post (wink, wink). She's so cute, isn't she? An absolute doll. And why must people say bad things about how she looked! She looks great! I'll tell you what! That's a lot of exclamation points. Anyways, so it's Tuesday, which means "Dancing With The Stars" will be on the television this evening. Who you got? People seem to think Erin Andrews can come up from behind and steal the victory. How about the ice skater? Seems unfair that he's allowed to compete. Part of his profession is "ice dancer." Then the Pussycat Doll?! Honestly. She gets paid hundreds of billions of millions of dollars to do such things on a consistent basis. Not that I'm in the group of people who think Ms. Andrews is God's gift to pretty, but it would admittedly be nice to see her win. Before you sit down to take that in, though, be sure to click a few links below, leave some comments and gaze at the adorable-ness of Ms. Mulligan. Be nice, now.

The album cover for Eminem’s “Recovery” was put on display today. Feel like I’m way more excited for this than I should be. (Eminem)

When will people far smarter than I ever begin to understand that making people pay to read things will never, ever work. The New Yorker eyes one price for all readership across any technological platform. (Adage)

The Wall Street Journal makes an error and refuses to correct it. 11 days later. Writer/blogger/editor is awfully upset. (Wordyard)

Is NBC Thursday nights making a return to Must-See TV? Interesting read. (Popmatters)

Paula Abdul will indeed be at the “American Idol” finale. Simon giggles. (TMZ)

Late on this, but this rumor is really one of the juiciest the sports world has seen in years: A timeline of how the Delonte West and LeBron James’ mother rumor began. (Deadspin)

Nooooo!!!! Joe Jonas broke up with Demi Lovato. This summer tour promises to be awkwarrrrd. (US Magazine)

You can watch Jimmy Fallon watch “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” live all week this week. For an additional five bucks, the host will call your new movie “awesome” and tell you that you look “stunning.” (LNWJF)