Pro-Coco, No Leno.

For yours, visit I'm With Coco.

Because I Just Gotta

Trebek's drunk, and it's NSFW.


This one's safer:

Making Beautiful (Improv) Music

Everyone knows I love me some Andrew Bird. Fewer people know I love classical music. Now, I'm not schooled in it like my Mama, but this is a gem of a video. Apparently, Bird was slated to interview Yo-Yo Ma as part of some MTV artist-with-artist thing. Ma asks him to string a piece together, so to speak. Lovely.

null |MTV Music

Canceled? You Don't Say!

Yeah, I'm being sarcastic, but part of me also really wishes I had seen Secret Talents of the Stars.

The story on CNN has more details, but really George Takai and Clint Black's "comedy" is all you need.

Christian was Fierce Saturday Night.

"Just like Project Runway with some of the same people, half the budget and twice the catch phrases. Scratch that, three times the catch phrases."

Amy Poehler rocked that posturing.

On December 11, he was in jeopardy.

Who is Alex Trebek?

Yes, we make fun of him and sure, we've bitched about him but we here at Alex would never hope for a heart attack (mild or otherwise) for anyone. We collectively love our iconic game show hosts.

Our best to Trebek and his family. Not that they'll ever read this, but you know, we still hope he's OK.

On a National Level

With many thanks to frame-makin' master and Yankee Hubby Tom for the tip, here's the National's set at ACL. I will say that of all the acts I saw there, they definitely stole the show and that's not something I'd say just because I really like them. Andrew Bird, Bloc Party, Crowded House, Common, Steve Earle--they were all fan-effing-tastic, but damn, the National was able to top their Emo's show Saturday night with a 1:30 p.m. time slot Sunday in glaring sun. I don't know how that's done, but they did it.

Way delayed sidenote (sorry, family reunion threw me off schedule): Check out my photos from the festival if you're bored (but beware they'll appear much darker on a CRT monitor than an LCD).

(photo of Matt Berninger © Merritt Martin, 2007.)

This Might Be

The worst idea ever.

I'm So Excited

Also: 100 more pages and then I will answer the phone and discuss Harry. Also, three more days until the biggest, hairiest writing deadline of the year has past. Fingers crossed I live to tell... (Why, oh why did Scholastic choose the same week to release the book?! I struggle to work, read and sleep.)

In Keeping with Weird Hip-Hoppin...

I present you with these. Please compare and contrast. I, being a self-proclaimed dance nerd, prefer Fosse's original vision, but hey, I suppose it's whatever makes the kids pay attention to greatness, right?

The original:


"Walk It Out":


Thanks to the Widner sisters for the Unk-y link.

Who Has 19 Grand to Thrown Down?

Oh, yeah.

thanks for the tip, michael.

Oh, and Speaking of Game Shows

Dueces, Bob. Dueces.

Farewell, My Scrumtrulescent Hero.

Sad news yesterday. My beloved CNR left us for the big Match Game in the sky. He was a real inspiration.

In honor of the great comedy genius, I present you with Alec Baldwin's unrivaled impersonation/tribute:

Ah Ha.

Before I head off to San Antone with the fella for a fun little not-in-Dallas weekend (yes, be jealous. be very jealous. hee hee), I thought I'd update you peeps on the Sanjaya video. (Not that you care, but we have to be credible here.) It was a joke. A Will Ferrell-related joke, no less.

Thanks for the link, Wee.

This Kicks So Much Ass

I love that AP had a Paris Hilton Blackout. I love it so much I'm not even gonna put up a pic.

Toogans, Noah, for this gem. Toogans.

Come Back!

Come back to Brokeback, er, Cold Mountain.

Dr. Stringz!!

As I look forward to the official release of Andrew Bird's Armchair Apocrypha (ah, another one of my favorite words), I was super stoked when YouTube/Pitchfork Media perusal-pro Noah showed me this little gem. It's Mr. Bird owning the violin (of course), guitar, mandolin and all stringed instruments (as well as a killer whistle) on Jack's Big Music Show:



See, we already loved the nighttime version of Noggin ("The N") thanks to its airing of Degrassi: The Next Generation, but now I'm gonna have to love the little kids' channel too. (After all, what other channel has kids' show with a puppet playing a hammered dulcimer?)