Link:  Islamic Radical Threatens Omar Sharif

You know it seems pretty pathetic that Islamic radicals would make a death threat against Omar Sharif, of all people, simply because he enjoyed playing Saint Peter in an Italian mini-series.  I mean, don’t they enough innocent civilians to kill these days?

Link:  Hatch Follows Drudge Lead, Implies Alito Critics May Be Racist

You really have to hand it to Republicans.  They really have no shame when it comes to the levels they are willing to sink.  Their latest:  a vote against Samuel Alito is a racially motivated vote against Italian Americans.  Pathetic, pathetic, pathetic.

Link:  Banned at the schoolhouse door: pint-size ghosts and goblins

Personally, I hate Halloween.  Not because I believe it’s some pagan holiday gone global, but because I hate the commercialization of what used to be a fun time for kids.  Up until age nine I enjoyed dressing up and getting a shitload of candy, but nowadays it’s just another way to bilk parents of their hard-earned money.  I mean, have you seen the prices of costumes and candy!  They’re outrageous!  I also don’t see a problem with canceling Halloween celebrations at schools.  With more Muslims attending public schools I can see how this would make them feel uncomfortable and then you have the whole conservative Christian pagan ritual thing (which I think is a load of crap).  If schools want to do something fun for kids, that’s fine, but costumes are a little much.  I can’t recall ever dressing up when I was in elementary school.

Link: Bush Picks Alito for Supreme Court

Let the fighting begin! 

There is no way Democrats should let this man be appointed without a fight.  if they do, they have no hope of ever getting a majority again.

Link:  ‘Saw II’ Cuts Down ‘Zorro’ at Box Office

I’ve yet to see Saw II, but if it’s anything like Saw I can see why it bested The Legend of Zorro — yet another sequel Hollywood didn’t need to make.  The original Saw was just a knockout of a horror movie/psychological thriller.  The ending alone is worth sitting through all the cringe-worthy blood and gore.  Horror movies these days are such a waste.  They usually cater to teenagers with an over abundance of nudity and sex with very little plot holding it together.  A movie like Saw, and hopefully Saw II, requires that you actually follow along with an intricate plot and even when all is revealed realize that you missed so much.  We need less of the Wes Craven/George Romero version of horror and more films like Saw.

I’m a person in his late 30s and as such I don’t spend that many Saturday nights out carousing around with friends; occasionally, yes, but every Saturday, no.  For that reason, I get so pissed that the networks have pretty much written off Saturday, choosing instead to air repeats of shows from earlier in the week.  Here’s the thing:  even with repeats, CBS is able to draw an average of 11 million viewers with those repeats.  Granted, they air repeats of their most popular shows, but even the other networks are drawing 5 and 6 million viewers with their repeats.  Think what they could draw with original programming!

Saturday night used to be a good night for television — it’s where great shows like All in the Family and Maude began.  I can remember in college waiting to watch a show with friends before heading out for a night of drinking and debauchery.  After graduation, I would still set the VCR to tape shows when I went out.  I’m not ashamed to admit that I liked to watch The Golden Girls when I was in my twenties.  What would happen if they put a show like Desperate Housewives, o rLost, or Grey’s Anatomy on Saturday evenings?  How many people would they draw if they aired an original episode of a CSI?  Would they draw 20-23 million viewers, probably not; but could they add another 5 or 6 million viewers to what they are drawing with repeats?  I think yes.  Or why not try original family programming?  It’s the perfect night for television shows that can be watched by the entire family.  Then, during the 10 o’clock hour, they can put on more adult fare for the parents alone.  Networks are obsessed with 18- to 49-year-olds, but 18- to 49-year-olds have families, too.  Even more irritating is that you can’t even find good, original Saturday programming on cable.  Sci-Fi Channel is one of the exceptions, but all they show are badly acted and written B-movie rip-offs.  Not even they can air quality programming!

Link: Time for the Vice President to Explain Himself

I don’t think anyone should hold their breath when it comes to either Cheney resigning or the President having the balls to ask for his resignation.  Politically, it could be a very good decision depending on who he would use to replace Cheney.  Vice-President Rice anyone?

Link:  Bush Looks to Bounce Back From Bad News

Looks like some of the President’s supporters are unhappy with the way he handled the Libby indictment.  Maybe President Bush should look to another fake president, Jed Bartlett, as example of how to fire a leaker of classified information.   It’s almost sad that a television show has a better example of a president than we have in real life.

Link: A patriot crashes the party

The President just isn’t haveing a very good week, is he? 

Link: I Don’t Want Laura To Die

I could not agree more with this the author’s sentiment when it comes to Battlestar Galactica’s President Laura Roslyn.  First, there’s the performance by Mary McDonnell that is probbably the best I’ve see from her in a very, very long time.  With the help of great writing, McDonnell has created one of the strongest women on television and, I think, one of the strongest women to appear in genre television since Buffy.  Second, there’s the character of Roslyn herself.  A balls-to-the-wall hard-nosed women who won’t take any shit — from anyone!  The people who underestimate her as this weak, liberal former Secretary of Education thrust into the Presidency do so at their peril.  Adama found this out, and Admiral Cain would have found that out eventually.  In fact, I loved the scenes between Cain and Roslyn.  You don’t get any better than Michelle Forbes and Mary McDonnell on television.  Adama looked like fresh meat caught between two sharks!

In the back of my mind I would like to see Roslyn stick around, whether it be some miracle cure from the Lords of Kobol or that she turns out to be a Cyclon, but that would take away from the great writing.  We’ll see what happens, but I will sure miss her if she goes.