...For The Ride Home: Chuck Norris finds himself on a hockey mask, Conan's old studio gets a makeover and 'I'm Still Here' is fake

For those who wonder why we offer this video to end out Week 25, simply follow the final link below. Hello, Friday, and hello to you, the wonderfully loyal and attractive reader. How was your week? Typical September, it's-almost-fall kind of week? Well, those don't always have to be awful, you know. I mean, after all, it did feature a pretty neat recap of this year's VMAs. Oh. That still wasn't enough to bring your week around to goodness? How about knowing this Sunday will feature the premier of that new HBO show everybody wants to see? Ahh, that's right. I knew that would work. Side: Did anyone out there see last night's episode of "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia?" I missed it, and I'm wondering if the gang got this season started off correctly. Those who may know are oh so welcome to leave an opinion or six in the comments section. Before you do that, though, we would like to offer the following links to send you into the weekend with. From the deepest of our most sincerest emotions, we hope you and yours have a lovely September weekend by doing whatever it is you do (and that may include seeing one of the hopefully-great movies). We hope to see you back here excited and rejuvenated Monday morning. Until then, though, and much like the previous 24 weeks, you must remember: Love you, miss you.

So, that Joaquin Phoenix movie? Yeah, it was staged. Now a Web site asks: Is he the new Andy Kaufman? (Popeater)

Penn State receives $88 million gift. Promptly begins hockey program. (ESPN)

Harry Shearer is mad at NPR. NPR sticks up for itself. All this really does is plant the seed back in my head that I need to watch “This Is Spinal Tap” again. (NPR)

The Daily Beast and Newsweek together? (New York Post)

Have you ever stopped to wonder what NBC is going to do with Conan’s old studio? Well, in case you have, they are going to…turn it into a newsroom. Sorry, Carson. I know you had your eyes set on that new “Last Call” set. (Los Angeles Times)

Dallas Stars goalie puts Chuck Norris on his mask. This is your opportunity to make one of those fabulous Chuck Norris jokes in the comments section. Related: I actually saw a few minutes of “Walker, Texas Ranger” this morning for the first time in my life. (Yahoo)

Sacha Baron Cohen is going to play Freddy Mercury in a biopic. What does Borat think of this? (Rolling Stone)

Watched this last night, so I must mention it today now that it has been parlayed into actual news. Jon Hamm is going to host Saturday Night Live again this year. (Entertainment Weekly)

Who else is going to party with me at this thing all weekend? (WHFS)

The hangover and the food that comes with it

Had a party this weekend. All the cool kids were there, and I'm fairly certain it was agreed upon by everyone that it was pretty much the best night of their lives. Party wise, at least. Hey, when you can rock that LCD Soundsystem record until five in the morning, while earlier in the night your record player sprinkled in some Tom Petty, Huey Lewis and Ray Charles, you know your party was better than just about everyone else's.

The problem, though, with having such a gathering, is that I'm noticing how awful I feel the day after a night filled with drinking. This is an occurrence that only recently became commonplace, and needs to be fixed soon. Maybe its the wine, liquor and beer. Should probably stick to only one of the above, right? But a couple bottles of wine just don't do the trick by themselves, and shots always need to be taken in order to proclaim toasts. And you can't have a party and not toast to something. Goodness. The intricacies of properly consuming alcohol.

Anyways, laying on the couch with a throbbing headache warranted the following thought: What's a good food to consume the day after a night filled with friends and booze? What exactly goes well with a hangover that makes you feel as though you will never move from your bed (aside from the requisite Tylenol, Advil and occasional Gatorade, of course)?

That headache now gone, I thought I'd throw a few thoughts out there to see if any stuck. Considering everyone typically has their own remedies for such situations, it may be nice to leave a comment or two, offering your own advice because mine clearly isn't full-proof, not even for me. That said, though, here are a couple examples of food I take solace in while feeling as though an 18-wheel truck is spinning through my brain.

Hamburgers and French FriesYeah, that sounds risky, I know. But I made an art out of waking up dizzy and still finding my way to McDonalds throughout my time in college. It's essential. The grease. The carbs. The complete awfulness of knowing you are eating processed food that was probably dropped on the floor three times before it hit the wrapper you see it in. Hey, if nothing else, eating such materials has been known to induce the act of vomiting. And remember what they always say about a way to make you feel better...

Pizza
This one is sort of odd, but the more I find myself in this predicament, the more I crave a slice of pizza by 5 'o clock. Now this can be tricky simply because of the varying pizzas that happen to be offered. Pizza Hut? Only if it's a personal pan because you sometimes roll the dice with how they may cook it. Dominoes? That can get a bit too cheesy. Same with Papa John's. A local joint? That's probably the best bet, though you know the local spots tend to be more inconsistent than any mainstream chain. That's OK, though, if you happen to love the smell of the pizza place. Because let's be honest. Stepping into a local pizzeria can instantly make anyone feel better based on smell alone. The big guys? They smell like garbage and dead cats. Not good for a hangover.

Tea
Only here because of my love for tea. It's hot, though. That helps.

Bread
People always seem to suggest toast and bread in these situations. Why? Before you know it, you have eaten eight slices of bread, put on six more pounds and you seem to wonder why you are still hungry. Still, bread is the perfect gateway food. It can lead you to finally gain an appetite for something more substantial - something that may just help. Besides, it's bread. Who doesn't have a loaf of bread just chilling out, always ready to help your hunger needs?

Chinese Food
Because it makes you sleepy, silly.

And of course...

Actual Breakfast Food
You are lying if you say you've never once woken up after a late night and went out to get pancakes, eggs and bacon. Me? I hate breakfast food. I'll go with you, but I'll opt for a burger. But just because I've never sat well with such foods doesn't mean we can ignore the fact that everyone seems to love the stuff. Goodness, the obsession you people have with syrup and butter. Always have to try and keep it local, but if you happen to be near a Perkins or Eat 'N Park, at least you'll be able to look at those attractive pies while you wait for your meal. And if you can't go to any of those, word is these things seem to generate some serious excitement within you breakfast food-eating-people bunch...

...For The Ride Home: The 9:30 Club turns 30, Paramore singer caught in naked photo scandal and it's true about Alicia Keys

What a week. Not only did we continue our "Signs of Summer" series, but we unveiled a new feature that promises to entertain once a month. We again saw more people come around than we could have ever expected. And we celebrated two months. Goodness, gracious. Saying goodbye to week nine is almost heartbreaking. To send it off correctly, you will find a somewhat unofficial video for Alicia Keys' duet with Beyonce, "Put It In A Love Song," a track you should really try and work into your rotation this summer. Really. It's got all the elements of a nice little summer jam. It's a long weekend, friends, so we don't expect many of you to be around Monday (though, if that's not true, drop us a line in the comments section). We expect to see your fabulous digital faces back here, rippin' and ready to go Tuesday with new posts and more banter about any and everything under the sun. Make sure you stay safe this weekend, and be sure to celebrate accordingly with cookouts, beer, meat, burned skin and regrets (not in that order, of course). Before you embark on such things, though, take May's last ride with us, check out some nice links, explore the world that is "Running From Camera," get carried away and as Ms. Keys says in the bridge, "Work it baby, work it out." Until Tuesday, friends, love you, miss you.

One of the most popular places to see a show on the east coast is the 9:30 Club in D.C. This weekend, they celebrate 30 years of awesomeness. Side: Was last there to see Raphael Saadiq. Dude killed it. (Pollstar)

The Times-Picayune of New Orleans uses its front page to relay a message to the president. Those people down there are pisssssed. (Media Matters)

Remember those 50 Cent photos from yesterday? He talked about it to a Cleveland newspaper before kicking off his tour there last night. Bonus: Mase is brought up. (Call And Post)

ESPN will not revisit the tape surrounding Kansas City Chief wide received Dwayne Bowe’s comments about a girl being in every room of the team’s hotel. Something smells fishy. (Pro Football Talk)

Hulk Hogan is mad at commercials. So much, in fact, that he is going to sue them. What happened to Brooke Hogan’s VH1 show? And what’s the other half of the Nasty Boys up to these days? (Bleacher Report)

Gary Coleman is on life support. (ABC News)

The lead singer of Paramore had a photo leaked of her topless. She’s such an oddity. Can’t figure out if I find her attractive or not. Thoughts? (Billboard)

Improper text messages and phone calls. The University of Connecticut’s basketball team is in a heap of trouble. Sad. Kind of like Calhoun. (Fox Sports)

We speculated on this weeks and weeks ago. Today, it’s confirmed: Alicia Keys is indeed pregnant and engaged. Remember where you heard it first. (Rolling Stone)

...For The Ride Home: Mike Brown's players liked him, cougar trend is on its way out and goodbye "24" and "Law & Order"

Got really, really drunk this weekend. It's odd, kids. When you hit a certain age, you don't really get to do that as much. Then when you do, you are reminded of why you don't anymore the next morning. So weird. Used to be able to hang, but I couldn't even move for the first four hours of yesterday. Need to get my game up with all that's going on this summer, though. Goodness, that was rough. Anyways, we kick off week nine with a bang, or, well, Jimmie's Chicken Shack. Why? Well, during my run this morning, this song came through on the shuffle, and it reminded me of the last time I saw the band perform this song, and how pleasantly surprised I was to hear it live. It's just so much more reggae-y with the electric guitars. We plan to unveil a new feature Friday, so be sure to check it out. It promises to be even better than the "Lost" finale. Wait, "Lost" people, is was indeed good, right? Had to have been. If they would have shown a blank screen for three hours, you would have loved it. Be honest, now. We love you, but come on. I digress. We can speak of this new feature more as it grows nearer. Today is Monday, so we begin the week right with some neat links. Oh. And once you are done with those, you can check out how fabulous the pretty people looked at Cannes this year. You have to dig at least one of those things, right?

Let the shaking begin in Cleveland: Mike Brown was fired today as head coach. Surprisingly (and we mean that) most of his former players have gone to bat for him. One conspicuous absence? That’s right. Mr. James himself is “on vacation.” (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

This is weird. Brittany Murphy’s husband, Simon Monjack, died over the weekend. The entire thing feels icky. (People)

Last night, “Lost.” Tonight, “24” and “Law & Order.” (Entertainment Weekly, The Daily Record)

Was going to post a Champions league final piece today instead of the Cannes fashion write-up, but knew none of you would care. In honor of that, though, an all-star team for the year that was international football. (The Big Lead)

Taking a good, in depth look at the work the National Enquirer puts in to some of its pieces. Scoff all you want, but the effort put into the John Edwards stuff was pretty damn good. (GQ)

NPR ombudsman sounds off on NPR, like all good ombudsmen should. (NPR)

Wait, the cougar trend is over?! No way. Not on the same week “Sex And The City 2” is set to hit theaters. (Popeater)

A little late, but we weren’t here yesterday: Chicago is going to the Stanley Cup finals. (Yahoo)

So who’s up for a Wii party?

When I was in college I was somewhat of a gamer – not a hardcore, virgin living in my parents basement gamer, but I got down with Madden and Halo from time to time. Ya that’s right, Madden 07; when you could still run the “Sweep Right” in the I-formation 35 times a game and still win the rushing title with Larry Johnson or Shaun Alexander (… who?). Recognize.

After college I had this lull where I had no gaming system, so my wife bought me a Nintendo Wii for Christmas last year… Yes, I am in fact a 13 year old child.



Anyways, don’t get me wrong, the Wii is super fun – I’m all about bowling and tennis and the like – but it doesn’t quite quench the thirst for a real gaming system, you know? There are no fatalities, stealthy assassinations or any of that cool blood and guts kind of stuff. There’s no controller with 10 different buttons… come to think of it, the Wii controller actually looks more like one of those “self massagers” from the Fingerhut mail order catalogs.

The Wii definitely has one distinct advantage though: it’s acceptable to have a Wii party. People come over, have a few beers, maybe an appetizer, and everyone plays and enjoy themselves. There’s nothing creepy or loserish about it all. But an Xbox 360 party? How ridiculous is that? Seriously, will the dudes (because clearly there are no females present) actually be braiding one another’s hair and playing truth or dare? Having an Xbox 360 party is up there with dudes who dress up for comic book conventions and adult baseball card collectors.



So who’s up for a Wii party?

- TS