The Kerry girls and Ben Affleck hold a mutual admiration society.

Annika's right. He's not that hot. And neither are they.

Brought to you by Deb.

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Jack would have continued. Jack wouldn't have let a little case of chicken pox stop the show. Jack would have said "f**k it" and risked the health of all the others in the cast, but that's right, no matter how much you would like to be compared to Jack, you're no Jack. Taking on a role that Jack made famous won't help you either. Be your own man, hell be a man period.

M@

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As someone with a deep interest in the history of the Constitution's drafting and ratification, I've always been puzzled by the lack of respect, or indeed attention, popular history has given to James Madison. The recent hubbub about the possibility of putting Ronald Reagan on the ten-dollar bill, or the dime, brought the point home again: Jefferson has his nickel (and the two-dollar bill), Hamilton has the ten-spot, Ben Franklin is on the hundred, and Washington is ubiquitous on the dollar bill and the quarter. But Madison is nowhere to be found (okay, he was on the five-thousand dollar bill, but you don't see those in your wallet every day). Was it because his presidency saw the British torch the White House? Was it because he (like John Adams, another frequently overlooked founder) was short?

Anyway, a commentary on Morning Edition yesterday put it in perspective. James Madison, you see, was George Harrison, "overshadowed by stronger personalities, yet ... essential to the mix.... The famous tract we call The Federalist No. 10 was the 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' of the eighteenth century." Yes. It all makes sense now.

Ben Franklin, in case you're wondering, was Ringo.

Posted by Jeff Cooper

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Ordering More Gotti

A&E has ordered five more episodes of reality series "Growing Up Gotti" after its Monday episode delivered the strongest series premiere ever -- 3.2 million viewers -- on the cable network.

A&E already has ordered 20 half-hours of the series, which follows the daughter and grandsons of late mob kingpin John Gotti.

How can they base anything on the first episode? I am sure people were tuning in out of sheer morbid curiosity - - sort of like watching a train wreck. You want to look away, but you can't.

I'd say don't order more until after episode three or even five. Those will be real numbers.

Are you looking forward to the extra episodes?

Posted by Uptown Girl

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Georgia Man's Pants Explode

According to newspaper reports, three Walker County, Georgia social workers were visiting Daniel Gabriel Doyle. As he sat in their car filling out paperwork, his pants exploded.

"He kept fiddling with his front right pants pocket," Patrick Stanfield, commander of the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force, told the Walker County Messenger. "All of a sudden, a loud bang happened, and fire shot from his pocket. It damaged the inside of the state vehicle and burned clothing on the case workers."

Apparently, Doyle had combined red phosphorus and iodine, two chemicals used to make methamphetamine, in a film canister. He then stuck the canister in his pocket when the social workers showed up.

The case workers were treated for minor injuries in LaFayette. Doyle was taken to Erlanger Medical Center in nearby Chattanooga, Tenn., with second- and third-degree burns to his testicles and leg.

Moral of this story: Crime doesn't pay. Apparently it burns balls - -but it doesn't pay.

Posted by Uptown Girl

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1 Hmmm...wonder what burnt balls smell like? Nah, I don't wanna know. LOL

Posted by: Swt GA HunnyB at August 04, 2004 08:43 AM (YTGF3)

2 I guess that gives new meaning to "blow it out your ass".

Posted by: M@ at August 04, 2004 08:55 AM (f2jsN)

3 Oh. My. Gosh. I went to high school with this guy. No joke. What a loser!

Posted by: Susan at August 05, 2004 01:35 PM (TgH28)

4 Oh, wait. No I didn't. But I did go to high school with a Gabe Doyle, and I do live right next to Walker County Georgia. How weird.

Posted by: Susan at August 05, 2004 01:36 PM (TgH28)

5 umm ... this guy is actually my biological father! i don't think he remembers that he had children b/c i haven't heard from him in years. but, i thot i would just comment b/c i was lookin for some new stuff on the internet about him.

Posted by: jess at December 10, 2004 08:11 AM (uB9tT)

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...or Duh, if you happened to watch the premiere of "Growing Up Gotti" on A&E last night. A few posts earlier, Uptown Girl discussed the new reality show about Victoria Gotti and her three teenage sons. Verdict? Let's just say: That was fifteen minutes I will never get back. Yes, fifteen minutes, dear readers, because I couldn't sit through the rest. Fifteen minutes of Victoria's sons playing up their badass (and pain-in-the-ass) images, the real estate agent who looked like she had just spent time on another reality show, Extreme Makeover (or The Swan, take your pick), Victoria's bulbous breasts, and the day-in-the-life shots of a tabloid "reporter." Oh yes, Vicky is a workin' girl...The assignment given to her by the Star's editor-in-chief??? Go out with.....i know, the suspense is killing you.......A BALD GUY! *gasp* Of all things!!!!!!!!!!

The best part of those fifteen minutes??? The commercial for "Bail Bondsman" - the next new reality show!!! Oh yes, a show all about a scary man who kicks butt, tackles people who are eating sandwiches, takes names, and then goes home to be just an ordinary dad. *sigh* Now THAT's good TV....Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Posted by Kelly P.

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1 I confess. I watched not one, but TWO, episodes of Growing up Gotti. The only thing I can say is that if those kids had MY mom.....well, it would have been a much shorter show. I couldn't believe the way they were talking to her. Could. Not. Believe it.

Posted by: robin at August 03, 2004 11:33 AM (LGw9Q)

2 Like you, I know I'm not alone in my disdain for reality TV. Some of it is good and entertaining; but most of it is just unimaginative crap. I have a much clearer affinity to my elders when they said television is a vast wasteland.

Posted by: Kevin the Interloper at August 03, 2004 11:43 AM (qb+8W)

3 Kelly P! OK, that sounds awful. But, I must inquire, are there some reality show that you do enjoy? For example, I can imagine a similar review of a Jessica Simpson show, and yet I still find it rather entertaining (in a completely mindless way, of course). And I haven't seen the Bail Bondsman ads, but I have occasionally found the Repo show on TLC or something to be quite entertaining, as well

Posted by: Kelly at August 03, 2004 12:09 PM (6vP9X)

4 Okay - I have actually watched the repo show and thought it was kind of interesting!!! Let's see...reality shows that I like...I love "American Chopper"- there is nothing better than Paul and Jr fightin' it out with Mikey wise-crackin' in the background...I have also watched (and kind of enjoyed) "Family Plots" on A&E as well as "American Casino." I guess if maybe I am learning (a little bit!) about a profession or way of life as I watch, I enjoy a reality show more. Does that make sense? But overall, I greatly dislike reality shows....

Posted by: Kelly P. at August 03, 2004 12:26 PM (4adEQ)

5 I didn't watch any part of Vic and her boys - - I had absolutely enough of it just from the preview ads

Posted by: Uptown Girl at August 03, 2004 07:27 PM (dUIpl)

6 I do want to hear Lil Kim's rendition of "These Boots are made for walking"

Posted by: Rori at August 03, 2004 07:44 PM (8bdss)

7 how did your hot little boys get to be stars and can you tell me how old they are??

Posted by: warsan at August 09, 2004 05:26 AM (Aw5Df)

8 hey the gottis are fine!!!i am so over them .when will i ever be able to get in touch with frankie?i am all the way from belize and i really wan to meet them. i think they are cool.

Posted by: melissa at September 21, 2004 04:47 PM (LB8XU)

9 I jsut want to know were to find a pic of the real estate agent, I loved the color of her hair

Posted by: becka at October 18, 2004 04:40 PM (DaKid)

10 i love frankie we have a lot in common especially our zodiac sign ...aries plz help me get his email address. luv ya] gotti luver

Posted by: melissa at December 12, 2004 05:08 PM (LB8XU)

11 john gotti is so freaken hot its unbelievable

Posted by: nav at February 05, 2005 05:00 PM (yVXTt)

12 if any 1 has the Gotti home address, e-mail address or phone numbers cud u e-mail them 2 me? @ i.everton@ntlworld.com thanks

Posted by: Lindsey at May 05, 2005 12:04 PM (6M7nL)

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This movie looks like it will be hysterically funny. Indeed, if it's anything like South Park...

Posted by Jay

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The Statue of Liberty opens to visitors and tourists today for the first time since September 11th 2001. There will be new security measures in place, but even the current terrorism warnings will not stop the re-opening of this national monument.

Posted by Kelly

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Drug Sniffer Dog Dies of Overdose - A police sniffer dog died of a suspected overdose while out hunting for drugs, British police said on Monday. Todd, a 7-year-old Springer spaniel, had been looking for drugs in a field and car in Preston, northern England, when his handler noticed he was looking unwell. He died shortly afterwards.

This is sad.

Driving Teacher Without License for 43 Years - A Berlin driving instructor who taught more than 1,000 motorists how to drive says he never got a driver's license because he was too nervous to retake the test after he failed the first time -- 43 years ago.

Since he had failed his test and was afraid to retake it for over forty-three years - - do you suppose he passed a lot of drivers who should have failed because he didn't want them to feel bad?

Roger Clemens Ejected From Son's Game - Houston Astros pitcher Roger Clemens was asked to leave a youth baseball game over the weekend for arguing a close call that went against his son's team. He spit sunflower seeds at an umpire's leg and was asked to leave, said Jim Carpenter, a field supervisor with Triple Crown.

Hmmm Roger, it's not the World Series.

Kerry Edwards Web Site Name Is for Sale - A Web site with the same name as the Democratic presidential ticket failed to attract the $150,000 minimum bid its owner wanted at an online auction. Kerry Edwards, 34, of Indianapolis, registered his kerryedwards.com Web address in March 2002 to post family photographs online. Kerry Edwards previously said the Kerry campaign had asked him to donate the Web address.

I wouldn't pay that for a Kerry / Edwards web address. I wouldn't even pay that for a George W. Bush address. But I'm not surprised that Kamp Kerry would ask for it to be donated instead of offering to purchase it.

Passenger Arrested for English Exercise - A Japanese man flying to Ohio was arrested after he was seen writing down the words "suicide bomb," but he was released without charge after explaining that it was an impromptu English exercise. The 60-year-old man told investigators he came across the words in a newspaper and wanted to look up their meaning, police spokeswoman Alice Casanova said. "He teaches himself English by reading newspapers," she said. "It was all just a miscommunication."

Good thing his lesson wasn't to look up the words, "I am a terrorist".

Posted by Uptown Girl

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Not that it is surprising, but it looks like Mr. Moore may have doctored his information just a tad bit. If this turns out to be true, which I think it will, how stupid do you have to be? If you "edit" the headline on the front page of a newspaper someone is going to notice it. They ought to be suing for more than a $1.

M@

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1 I dunno. I found the article on Lexis, and the paper appears to be right. Having peeked through the headlines of that time though, it's a little odd for this to be a deliberate misrepresentation rather than just sloppiness. After all, there are other headlines from that time that serve the same purpose... and from better news papers.

Posted by: Kevin at August 02, 2004 03:40 PM (mw1ve)

2 I'm from the Central Illinois area, and I can say from everything I have read this seems to be entirely true. The funny part is this story has been brewing for about a month now -- the national media just finally took notice. Images are available over at MooreWatch if you want to take a look. It's a pretty egregious difference -- and according to the paper, the F911 blowup headline is in a font they never use as well. Pantagraph's not a bad rag for a town of 150K Nice blog btw.

Posted by: illinigirl at August 02, 2004 11:27 PM (HApT2)

3 The $1.00 lawsuit is a literary tradition. It's partly because the law on copyright damages requires proof of loss and partly to show that it is all about principle.

Posted by: triticale at August 05, 2004 11:00 PM (4yjsc)

4 Take your time to check out some relevant information about deflivery - Tons of interesdting stuff!!!

Posted by: alprazolam c.o.d. online pharmacies pills at October 04, 2005 01:08 PM (Se663)

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I hope Lawren is having a wonderful, much-needed vacation. I was honored and pleased when she asked me to be one of her guest bloggers during her absence.

I'm guessing Lawren was hoping for a wide variety of perspectives from her guest bloggers. But this morning I'm turning the tables; I'm going to take advantage of you, Lawren's classy, witty, knowledgeable, and relatively large audience. I need advice.

First of all, I've been tring to lose weight for quite a while. I have actually, for probably the first time in my life, made a rather sustained effort at exercise and eating less for several months. My 'biggest' problem area? Lower abs. Ladies, how can I get rid of my gut? I do crunches, but they don't touch that lower ab area. What lower ab exercises or even equipment do you recommend?

Second, I worry about wrinkles. I'm not a young woman anymore, and though I don't see many wrinkles, I wonder if this is the time to start taking some preventative measures. Anyone have a favorite wrinkle cream or beauty tip that *really works*?

Thanks ladies!!!

Posted by Kelly

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1 I love Neutrogena's Anti-Blemish/Anti-Wrinkle cream. I also have been using a high SPF foundation with Retinol around my eyes and as a foundation for lipstick for about 5 years. I don't know if either of these are actually working, but I'm all about prevention!

Posted by: Amanda at August 02, 2004 08:28 AM (Q/1ny)

2 I was speaking to my dermatologist about wrinkles and such. I explained I don't have any yet and I don't want any and he told me that it is all in our gene pools. Yes creams can help keep the skin hydrated, but overall what is in our gene pool is going to decide how we will age. He also suggested that instead of spending what I was on creams and lotions (which was a staggering amount) that I do facial exercises. These are all part of a iso-metrics workout that I do - - which also has exercises for that stubborn lower ab Do I still use an expensive creams? You betcha! I use it right along with the exercises. lol

Posted by: Uptown Girl at August 02, 2004 08:47 AM (dUIpl)

3 Uptown Girl please share the facial exercises. I only know 2 and I really think that is the way to go. I use Differin and now wear sunscreen but w/ a past that includes 15 years of smoking and no sunscreen it is going to happen.

Posted by: Lynne at August 02, 2004 11:52 PM (TnN3X)

4 Lower abs are tough because it's hard to get to the muscle. I used to do a whole ab routine that included pelvic lifts for the lower abs. They work pretty well if you do them right. Lie on your back, knees bent. Lift your butt off the ground and lower back down for as many reps as you can stand. A variation on this, which makes it more difficult, is to keep one knee bent, lift the other leg straight above you (perpendicular to the floor) and lift your butt off the floor. Hands should go behind your head, by the way.

Posted by: Lee Anne Millinger at August 03, 2004 07:45 AM (C76SF)

5 I've heard that pilates work your lower abs. I've been meaning to try it, so I can't speak from experience yet

Posted by: at August 03, 2004 08:25 AM (tNznv)

6 Hi Kelly, Im Lawren's mom. I have tried ALL the creams...My favorite at the moment is Avotox. Check out www.avotox.com

Posted by: Leslie at August 03, 2004 08:45 AM (070YS)

7 Try this, it is hard but you can feel it working! 1. Plank Abdominals with Alternating Leg Lifts: Get into the pushup position, but instead of being up on your wrists, put your forearms flat against the floor. Lower your hips into the ground and then, as you press up from your heels, lift one leg. Alternate legs and make sure to keep your abdominals contracted throughout the movement and hold your body parallel to the floor. Do 10 repetitions for each leg.

Posted by: lynne at August 03, 2004 11:17 AM (HNhmk)

8 Thanks for all the input - especially to Lawren's mom!

Posted by: Kelly at August 03, 2004 12:10 PM (6vP9X)

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Webster Adds 'MP3,' 'Pleather' and Others

"Pleather," "body wrap," "MP3," and "information technology" are among the words and phrases that have gotten the nod from the editors at Merriam-Webster in the annual update of their Collegiate Dictionary.

When a word or new usage becomes used with some frequency by the popular press that it becomes a candidate for the dictionary.

It typically takes 20 years of use for a word to become prominent enough to merit a place in an abridged dictionary, such as the Collegiate, he said.

"Pleather" — a plastic fabric made to look like leather — first appeared in 1982 and "body wrap," referring to a beauty treatment, appeared in 1974.

But the Internet has speeded that up. And some of this year's new words had to wait a fraction of that time.

Darmstadtium was officially approved as the name for element No. 110 in 2003 and MP3 — as the name for a computer file or the audio file format — first appeared in 1996.

Goggles have been part of the English language and used as eye protection since 1715. But it is only recently that the noun has been added.

Do you have a word that should be in the Dictionary?

Is there a word you don't think belongs in the Dictionary?

What are they and why?

If a word as common as "goggles" takes a couple of centuries what hope do I have for the addition of the word "choo" and / or "Choo". What might a choo be? It is a shoe / pair of shoes designed by Jimmy Choo - - no one says they are wearing Choo shoes - - they are simply referred to as Choo and / or Chooes. I like the word and think it's a good one- - maybe not to you, but then I also bet you aren't in a twelve step shoe program.

As for words that shouldn't be in the Dictionary - - I don't think the word F&@K or any of its counter-parts belong in the dictionary. I have a Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary here on my desk and when I was thinking what word shouldn't be in the dictionary I decided on this one because if someone doesn't know what this word means by the time they'd be using a dictionary of this type then I think the correct definition, spelling and usage of the word is the least of their problems.

Posted by Uptown Girl

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