Papa Mick

How can Mick Jagger sing "I can't get no satisfaction" in all sincerity? The man just sired his eighth child. The mother is 29, and Mick is 72.

Details are here.

His oldest child, by the way, is 45...or 16 years older than the mother of this upcoming baby.

Cleveland Billboard

This is a real billboard in Cleveland, not far from the upcoming Republican convention...

I thought it was an obit

I saw this headline on Robert Feder's column and honestly thought it was an obituary: Sun Times loses general manager to tronc.

I thought "Ooh, that sounds horrible. Hope it was peaceful and didn't involve too much pain."

Then I remembered that tronc is not a disease. It's the new name of the Tribune company.

I know I've said this before, but what an incredibly stupid name.

Not Trustworthy

Something like 55% of America doesn't think that Hillary is trustworthy, which is the #1 reason people do not support her. Of course, if they vote for the other guy, they end up supporting someone who is demonstrably provably less trustworthy, which is a little ironic. From this morning's Washington Post fact checker...

Here’s the tally so far. Three Pinocchios could be viewed as mostly false, Two Pinocchios as half-true, One Pinocchio as mostly true and the rarely given Geppetto as completely true.

Trump (52 rated claims)

Four Pinocchios: 33 (63 percent)

Three Pinocchios: 11 (21 percent)

Two Pinocchios: 5 (10 percent)

One Pinocchio: 1 (2 percent)

Geppetto Checkmark: 2 (4 percent).


Clinton (35 rated claims)

Four Pinocchios: 5 (14 percent)

Three Pinocchios: 13 (36 percent)

Two Pinocchios: 11 (30.5 percent)

One Pinocchio: 2 (5.5 percent)

Geppetto Checkmark: 5 (14 percent)

As you see, the ratio of Trump’s Four-Pinocchios ratings is sky-high. In fact, nearly 85 percent of Trump’s claims that we vetted were false or mostly false. A line graph of Trump’s numbers would show a very steep sky jump. By contrast, Clinton has a bell curve of a typical politician. The number of false claims equals the number of true claims, while her other claims fall mostly somewhere in the middle.

They both clearly lie. One is just worse.

The other thing that I hear is that she has proven to be a failure because of her decisions regarding Iraq, Syria, and Libya, and of course, Benghazi. I'm not going to address Benghazi because nine Congressional studies already have, and none of them found that Hillary was to blame for that. But ask yourself this question, if you feel she has disqualified herself by making mistakes in this realm, do you honestly believe that Trump will be better at foreign policy? The kill-their-families guy? The steal-all-their-oil guy? The ban-an-entire-religion guy?

I'm not a Hillary fan.

But to me, this is the easiest choice of all-time.

Wisdom

Thanks to "RS" for this one...

Steven Tyler Worried About Joe Perry

Last week Joe Perry collapsed on stage during a concert (not with Aerosmith), and the word has been that he is recovering nicely. If he is, however, he hasn't bothered returning calls to Steven Tyler, which has the Aerosmith lead singer a little worried. From UltimateClassicRock.com...

“I know they’re putting out nothing but ‘he’s recovering, he’s really good, he fainted, exhaustion,'” Tyler added. “But I know my brother. He’s just about the only other guy that’s as passionate about his art as I am. He’s always asking me to do three, four [Aerosmith] shows in a row, and I can’t. I’ll blow my voice out. I know how to maintain my career, my health, and Joe’s passionate. I don’t think he knows how to. I think he’s out there and someone’s overbooking him. They’re doing like eight or nine shows in a row, or five in a row. I think they’re all a little burnt. I think they may need to look at that. Not young anymore, y’know?”

We know, Steven. We know.

By the way, even I know that Joe not returning calls to Steven doesn't necessarily mean anything. They sometimes go years without speaking to each other.

Minutia Men, Episode 11

Rick and Dave get the low-down on Pokemon Go from a 13-year-old user. They also discuss the Roger Ailes office chase, quiz each other about names in the news, see what the Cubs were doing during the NYC blackout, and share the details of their brush with Boy George.

Listen to it here.

Emmy Nominations

This year's Emmy nominations were announced this morning, and here are the major categories...

Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Kyle Chandler — Bloodline
Rami Malek — Mr. Robot
Bob Odenkirk — Better Call Saul
Matthew Rhys — The Americans
Liev Schreiber — Ray Donovan
Kevin Spacey — House of Cards

Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Claire Danes — Homeland
Viola Davis — How to Get Away with Murder
Taraji P. Henson — Empire
Tatiana Maslany — Orphan Black
Keri Russell — The Americans
Robin Wright — House of Cards

Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Bryan Cranston — All The Way
Benedict Cumberbatch — Sherlock
Idris Elba — Luther
Cuba Gooding Jr. — The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Tom Hiddleston — The Night Manager
Courtney B. Vance — The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Kirsten Dunst — Fargo
Felicity Huffman — American Crime
Audra McDonald — Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill
Sarah Paulson — The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Lili Taylor — American Crime
Kerry Washington — Confirmation

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson — Black-ish
Aziz Ansari — Master of None
Will Forte — Last Man on Earth
William H. Macy — Shameless
Thomas Middleditch — Silicon Valley
Jeffrey Tambor — Transparent

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Ellie Kemper — Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Julia Louis-Dreyfus — Veep
Laurie Metcalf — Getting On
Tracee Ellis Ross — Black-ish
Amy Schumer — Inside Amy Schumer
Lily Tomlin — Grace and Frankie

Reality Series
The Amazing Race
American Ninja Warrior
Dancing with the Stars
Project Runway
Top Chef
The Voice

Variety Series
Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
The Late Late Show with James Corden
Real Time with Bill Maher
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

TV Movie
A Very Murray Christmas
All The Way
Confirmation
Luther
Sherlock

Limited Series
American Crime
Fargo
The Night Manager
The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Roots

Comedy Series
Black-ish
Master of None
Modern Family
Silicon Valley
Transparent
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Veep

Drama Series
The Americans
Better Call Saul
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Homeland
House of Cards
Mr. Robot

Black Republican Senator Talks About Black Reality

There's obviously a dispute in this country about whether or not African Americans are treated differently by police than white people. Please note, however, that the only place that debate is taking place is among white people. There is no debate in the African-American community. Zero.

The black surgeon who treated the cops that had been shot in Dallas spoke movingly about his fear of the police. He has experienced it too--and he's a surgeon.

And yesterday, Senator Tim Scott admitted that he has experienced it too. He's not only a Senator. He's a Republican.

Luke Russert Leaving NBC News

This is kind of a shocker, because Russert was becoming one of the best political reporters on television.

He just wants to take some time to rethink his future. He's 30 now. He was thrust into this job in the wake of his father's death. He's on a thankless horrible beat (Congress).

I say, you go, young Luke. Life's too short.

RNC Speakers

The Trump campaign announced the speakers for the RNC.

One night they will spend the whole night re-litigating Benghazi (again). Another night they will spend the entire night re-litigating the fact that Bill Clinton is a horndog (again). And while the speaker's list includes the Majority Leader in the Senate and the Speaker of the House, it doesn't include any ex-GOP presidents (two are living), presidential candidates (three more are living), or even Sarah Palin (too mainstream).

The list does include a female professional golfer, a male underwear model, four adult Trump children, Trump's wife, Trump's son's personal assistant, and Tim Tebow.

The planning meeting was caught on tape...

Drunk Passenger Urinates in Plane Aisle

The flight was from Copenhagen to Edinburgh. That's not a long flight.

But a 26-year-old drunk man unbuckled his seatbelt during the landing, went into the aisle, pulled down his pants, and started peeing. (Read all about it here)

I'm guessing you find this as shocking as I do.

During the landing? Dude, I'm already white-knuckling it here in the window seat, praying that I don't vomit. You are not helping the situation.

The Trump Radio Show

I had forgotten all about this, but Donald Trump did a radio show for a few years in New York. Don't look for the audio, it's all but wiped off the planet.

However, one person did have transcripts, and leaked them to the Daily Beast.

They have summarized it nicely for us at the link. Love the gushing comments about Hillary (NY's Senator at the time), and what he said about Robert Blake and Michael Jackson. Cannot believe that nearly half the country is seriously thinking about electing this guy president.

Wisdom

#WednesdayWisdom pic.twitter.com/aUvLYyjE6s

— Anna Davlantes (@AnnaDavlantes) July 13, 2016

Back Tomorrow

Busy day in the office today. Will be back at the whole blogging thing tomorrow.

By the way, how sweet was that Kris Bryant homer off Chris Sale? Just sayin.

Stephen Colbert Rubs the Cubs for Good Luck

Do Not Pass Pokemon Go, Do Not Collect $200

My Twitter feed exploded over the past two days with discussions about Pokemon Go. It was everywhere. According to this piece, over 7.5 million have downloaded the app in the last week. I went into my son Sean's room to ask him about it, and he was already playing the game. He was about to go for a walk around the neighborhood to see what kind of Pokemon he could find.

I said: "How about you go to the grocery store with me? Could be some Pokemon there."

He agreed.

At the grocery store, there were about a dozen parents there with their kids, and they all had their phones looking for Pokemon (I kid you not). There were three Pokemon in the store, by the way.

I can't remember the last time something exploded like this in such a short time.

If you're late to the game, this article explains it. If you're playing it already, this article has some tips.

Messi Gets Sentenced to Jail

Not for missing the penalty kick in the finals of the Copa America.

He got 21 months for tax fraud.

However, according to this article, he may not serve a day in prison. In Spain, convicts who are sentenced to less than 2 years can serve that time on probation. That sound you just heard was Barcelona's soccer team exhaling.

Eric & Kathy Are Named to Radio Hall of Fame

Robert Feder reported the news last night. In addtion to Eric and Kathy, Steve Harvey and Michael Savage (really?) will be part of this year's class.

Of course, over the years I've had the opportunity to interview everyone associated with the Eric & Kathy show, including...

Eric Ferguson

Kathy Hart

Melissa McGurren

John Swany Swanson

Brian Whip Paruch

Mark Suppelsa

Barry Keefe

and their first program director...

Barry James (BJ)

Congrats to all of them.

CBS Radio Files an IPO

It's official. CBS Radio is breaking off and leaving the CBS mother ship. The Wall Street Journal has the details.

Once they make their initial money on the IPO, it's time for a fire sale. Everything must go. "Get your radio stations! Get your radio stations right here!

In Chicago, by the way, CBS radio owns WBBM-AM (and the FM station they simulcast that on), WBBM-FM (B-96), WJMK-FM (Classic Hits 104.3), WXRT-FM, WUSN-FM (US-99), and WSCR-AM (The Score). Some of the biggest and most profitable stations in Chicago.

Seth Meyers Live from the Republican Convention

Seth Meyers will do his late-night talk show on NBC live the night of Donald Trump's acceptance speech.

The New York Times has the details.

By the way, my fingers shuddered a bit when I wrote "Donald Trump's acceptance speech." This may be a boon for comedians, but I still have a hard time believing this is really going to happen. It's a bit, right?

More Ailes and Pains

They are coming out of the woodwork now. Other women who faced a similar Roger Ailes to the one described by Gretchen Carlson. And these charges go back a long way. This pattern of behavior, according to these women, goes all the way back to the 1960s.

Read this report in New York Magazine. It features six women, a few of which go by their full names. Here's one...

Kellie Boyle, 54
Former Republican National Committee field adviser

This was back in 1989. I was 29 and living in New Jersey. My husband worked at CNBC and he said, ‘Roger Ailes is coming in to be interviewed, would you like to meet him?’ I said yes! I’d worked in political communications for the Republican National Committee; so Roger Ailes was like a God. I’d read his book, You Are the Message, and I used it for a lot of training I did for candidates. I introduced myself in the green room and he was very charming and said, ‘Would you like to visit my office downtown sometime?’ A week or two later I went in and mentioned to him I was going down to D.C. the following week to sign a major contract with the National Republican Congressional Committee. He said, ‘I’m going to be in D.C. too. Would you like to have dinner before you go in?’ So we had a nice dinner at a restaurant in Union Station. There was nothing untoward about it at all. He had a driver and a car, and after dinner he said, ‘Can I take you to your friend’s?’ So we get in the car and that’s when he said, ‘You know if you want to play with the big boys, you have to lay with the big boys.’ I was so taken aback. I said, ‘Gosh I didn’t know that. How would that work?’ I was trying to kill time because I didn’t know if he was going to attack me. I was just talking until I could get out of the car. He said, ‘That’s the way it works,’ and he started naming other women he’s had. He said that’s how all these men in media and politics work — everyone’s got their friend. I said, ‘Would I have to be friends with anybody else?’ And he said, ‘Well you might have to give a blowjob every once in a while.’ I told him I was going to have to think about this. He said, ‘No, if you don’t do it now, you know that means you won’t.’ The next morning I show up to get my assignment and was told the guy I was supposed to be meeting with was unavailable. Back in New Jersey I got a call from Roger Ailes. He said, ‘How’d your meeting go?’ I said, ‘Actually he wasn’t available and I’m hoping to hear back from him.’ He said, ‘Ah, well, I’m sure you will. Have you changed your mind yet?’ I said, ‘I’ll have to pass, Roger. I’m married and really committed to my husband. No offense.’ He said, ‘Well, we’ll be in touch.’ And that was that. A couple weeks later, I called a friend who was very high up in the RNC and I asked him what happened. He said, ‘Word went out you weren’t to be hired.’

On the other hand, some women who currently work with Ailes came to his defense. Greta Van Sustern for instance said this to the Daily Beast...

"I wouldn’t stick around if this were a weird place like that. I feel bad for her. I imagine she’s quite unhappy that her contract wasn’t renewed. Based on my experience, I’ve never seen it or heard it or suspected it.”

And Ailes filed a series of motions on Friday. He's trying to get this turned into an arbitration case that is sealed and held in private. From TV Newser...

In one motion, Ailes’ attorneys argue that Carlson breached her contract with Fox News by suing Ailes, when her “multi-million dollar employment agreement” with Fox required settling disputes by arbitration. The motion suggests Carlson’s suit names only Ailes–and not Fox News–as a means of avoiding the arbitration requirement. “There is no legal basis upon which she can rightfully assert that she was entitled to sue Defendant Ailes in court and sully his reputation in public,” the filing says.