Jan Jeffries out at WLS-FM

Robert Feder has the scoop this morning. Jeffries is not being fired, he's being transferred to Washington DC.

I hope this frees the incredibly talented jocks on the air (Landecker, Murphy, Brown, Biondi, etc.) to actually talk on the radio. Every time I hear one of their 20 second bits, I clamor for more. But maybe that's just me.

Marconi Awards Finalists Announced

You can see the full list here. There are a few Chicago finalists this year...

WTMX (The Mix) for "Legendary Station"
Eric & Kathy (The Mix) for "Major Market Personality of the Year"
WJMK (K-hits 104.3) for "Classic Hits Station of the Year"
WDRV (The Drive) for "Rock Station of the Year"

Congrats to all of the finalists. The Marconi is a very prestigious award. Just being nominated is a big deal.

Look who is back!

I saw this comic strip yesterday on Facebook (where he posted it), but this morning I was excited to see that he was actually bringing it back for real, although not on a daily basis. Basically whenever and wherever he feels like it.

Good enough for me.

Iranian Deal

I watched and listened to both sides praising and ripping the Iran nuclear deal, but what I really wanted was something we used to have in this country--objective journalists saying which side is right (or partially right) and which side is wrong (or partially wrong). I eliminated all choices that called the president names (Appeaser, Neville Chamberlain, America-hater, etc), and all the choices from the liberal publications that reflexively praise him.

This is the best I found. It's the fairly non-partisan (or even right-leaning) Economist trying to unravel the pros and cons.

Their assessment: Mostly good

David Ignatius is an expert on the subject and is a sober realist. He's also not a partisan. His opinion is that is a "a well crafted deal" but it also poses a good question "Will Iran behave?" You can read his assessment here. To me, his conclusion sums up the situation pretty well...

In the wake of the agreement, Netanyahu called Tuesday “one of the darkest days in world history.” Republican politicians made similar strident attacks, but the critics appeared to be outliers. The pact has the support of most major nations. Even Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates offered measured comments. Obama seems to have won this round. Netanyahu and his GOP allies are indignant about the deal, but they are taking on the world.

Pluto!

First color pictures of Pluto (and it's moon Charon) were released yesterday by NASA. This is incredible...

25 Different Covers

Sports Illustrated has released 25 different covers featuring the Women's National Team, one for each member of the team and the coach, and one team photo. Details are here. Carli Lloyd's cover is below.

CBS Bloodbath

CBS Radio, my old employer, fired 200 employees yesterday nationwide. I've been trying to find a list of the people fired, but all I can find is that they were mostly off-air people. Larz at Chicagoland Radio & Media got a few of the names from Chicago, including the production director and morning producer at US-99, but there are reportedly ten more.

The moves were ordered by a bean counter in New York.

As a listener, you won't feel these moves immediately. But just know this, the quality of radio, which you have noticed has been going steadily downhill for years, will go down even more. The shareholders will be happy for a day or two, and the bean counter in New York will be patted on the back by his corporate bosses, but 200 people are out of work now and looking for a job in a medium that doesn't value behind-the-scenes contributions at all anymore.

What does a production director do? He or she records the radio commercials. Pencil in twelve minutes of painful listening every hour now. What does a radio producer do? I think there was a whole book written on the subject. I hope the handful of people still doing the job in this country appreciate it. Many of the others who were fired came from promotions and sales. What does a promotion department do? They reach out to the listeners...the people that used to matter most to radio bosses. What does sales do? Brings in the money that keeps the stations afloat. I'm clearly not a financial genius, but that would seem to be an important part of the business.

What is one thing that wasn't cut? The bean counter's salary in New York.

I just did a television interview the other day and they asked me if I missed radio. I don't remember exactly how I answered it, but the gist of my answer was that I didn't miss it at all. On days like today, nobody has to wonder why.

Now That's What I'm Talking About

The most overused line in the movies...

My Kind of Town

Chicago Timelapse Project, Windy City Nights II from Max Wilson on Vimeo.

Women's World Cup Also A Financial Winner

We know it was a winner on the field (at least for the US) and in the ratings (in the US), but today Adweek reports it was also a HUGE winner for the network that broadcast the games.

Ad revenues were up 400% over the previous Women's World Cup.

ESPN's Tightens Its Belt

From Tom Taylor's column this morning...

“Tough negotiations” ahead for Colin Cowherd and other ESPN talent. And remember the recent reversal of the decision to relocate ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike morning show from Bristol, Connecticut to Manhattan, located just above the set of ABC-TV’s “Good Morning America?” Saving money was “a major factor” in that decision, says the Wall Street Journal. While the Journal doesn’t mention her, the planned addition of Molly Qerim to “Mike & Mike” is also on ice. Whatever belt-cinching happened around Disney-controlled ESPN, it happened fast. ESPN contributes about 25% of Disney’s operating profit, says Nomura Securities. But it’s now paying triple the amount it used to for NBA rights, going from $485 million a year to $1.47 billion – and that’s just one of the cost-side pressures. While Nielsen says ESPN has lost 3.2 million subscribers since early 2014, due to cheaper choices made by cable customers or outright cord-cutting. ESPN wrings $6.61 per subscriber every month out of cable companies, the most expensive thing on the viewing grid. That just can’t keep going up forever. ESPN superstar Bill Simmons left in May and Keith Olbermann’s departure was announced last week. The Journal says “other ESPN talent likely facing tough negotiations down the road include Monday Night Football anchor Mike Tirico…and radio host Colin Cowherd.”

Cousins

We had a fun weekend at my house. My brother and cousin were in town and their boys played alongside my son in a 3 v 3 soccer tournament. All four cousins played for the same team their dads played for when we were kids. The boys won their bracket and made it to the semi-finals.

Trump One on One

The Washington Post got a one-on-one with Trump while flying in his private jet after a speech.

You have to read this. You'd swear it was an article in the Onion. The way he watches the coverage of himself on Fox while he conducts the interview is like something out of a Saturday Night Live sketch.

I almost spit out my coffee when he talked about how big his heart is. As with everything else in his life, it's "too big". He's got the "biggest" crowds, the "longest" standing ovations, the "greatest" message.

Ever get the feeling with this guy that at least one thing of his is extremely small? I mean really really tiny? (And I'm not talking about his mind)

UPDATE: Here's another piece from the Post. It features quotes from his speech--the 23 different people or institutions he ripped.

It's Keef's World

This one cracked me up for obvious reasons...

Joke for a Friday Morning

Courtesy of "PC"...

A husband and wife are shopping in their local Wal-Mart. The husband picks up a ...case of Miller Lite and puts it in their cart.

'What do you think you're doing?' asks the wife. 'They're on sale, only $10 for 24 cans', he replies. 'Put them back, it's a waste of money', demands the wife, and so he does and they carry on shopping.

A few aisles further on along, the woman picks up a $20 jar of face cream and puts it in the basket.

What do you think you're doing?' asks the husband... "It's my face cream. It makes me look beautiful,' replies the wife.

Her husband retorts: 'So does 24 cans of Miller Lite and it's half the price....'

HUSBAND DOWN, AISLE 7 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RIP Omar Sharif

Omar Sharif has passed away. He was 83 years old. Met him back in my radio days. Nice man. Just saw his phone number in my old radio phone book the other day. Sad how many of those old stars have passed away since I left the business ten years ago.

His two most famous films were "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Dr. Zhivago". My mom always considered this one of the best movies ever made...

Marv Nyren Returns to Chicago

Marv was the GM who fired the show I was consulting (Spike, Dobie & Max) back in 2005. From this morning's RAMP newsletter...

Marv Nyren has left his position as Market President of iHeartMedia Jacksonville and has returned to Chicago, hired by Tribune Broadcasting as Director of Group Sales and Marketing. It's a career homecoming for Nyren, who is probably best known for his seven-year run with Emmis Chicago as GM of WLUP (97.9 The Loop) and WKQX (Q101) until 2011. In February of 2012 Nyren crossed the street to become VP of Affiliate Development/Midwest for Total Traffic Network. He had been in his Jacksonville post since April of 2013. No replacement has been named in Jacksonville.

Misremembering History

MLB imagines what would have happened if Bartman was a hero instead of a goat...

ESPN and Olbermann "Part Ways"

Keith Olbermann's latest stint at ESPN is officially over. This time it doesn't sound like he was let go because of a personality dispute or a behind-the-scenes confrontation of some kind (although it has been reported that the network didn't like the way he criticized the NFL). It sounds like when it was all said and done, it was good old fashioned ratings that did him in. From Variety...

ESPN executives were pleased with the quality of Olbermann’s program, according to a person familiar with the situation, but felt the show was not attracting a level of viewership required to keep it on the air.

Home Run Derby

Both of these guys will be appearing in the Home Run Derby in Cincinnati. I may actually watch it this year.

Bill Cosby

It's one thing when you lose all your commercial endorsements (the Jello people have to be scrubbing YouTube these days), or your comedy gigs dry up despite the fact you're one of the best comedians of all time, but you really know you've hit career rock-bottom when your agent dumps you.

Bill Cosby may never be prosecuted for what he did, but his career is officially over.

This Can't Be Good

The CNN.com headline reads: Athletes Allege Abuse and Racism at University of Illinois.

It's in the women's basketball program, and the men's football program, and it sounds very bad.

That's my Alma Mater. Making me so proud once again.

Tony Bruno

For a little while Tony Bruno was the morning sports-talk host in Chicago, hosting a show for Sporting News Radio. He has gone on to achieve success in Philadelphia, but that ended abruptly yesterday. This is kind of a shocking development, so I thought I'd share the details with you. From Tom Taylor's NOW column...

He’s been absent from his PM drive co-hosting slot with Josh Innes on CBS Radio’s all-sports WIP Philadelphia (94.1) – and for about a half-hour yesterday, Innes was also AWOL. Now it all comes out in a melodrama that probably made some PPM meters glow white-hot. Josh, who’d been brought up to Philly from Houston first to do nights and then afternoons, was paired with the more experienced Bruno. Now Tony, a syndicated host on several sports networks who had recently circled back to WIP, says he’s leaving AM/FM radio, period. Tony posts on his website that “after 45 years of pursuing my dreams and goal of radio, and climbing the sports radio stairs to the highest rungs, the format and industry in general no longer provide me joy and satisfaction, even after reaching #1 in PM drive in record time [with 25-54 men] in my hometown.” So, he “decided to resign from WIP and from regular long-form terrestrial radio as a result, and will pursue my podcasts and other things that keep my occupied and happy.”

Chicago Radio Ratings

The June ratings came out for Chicago radio and there are several interesting things of note there. One is that WGN had a resurgence (probably sparked by the Blackhawks), and Me-TV FM has really made a splash.

Of course I wrote about them in my Illinois Entertainer column last month.

More analysis of the ratings are here.

Media Mogul Retreat

It's that time of year again. Every year all the media moguls gather in Sun Valley Idaho for a closed-to-the-public off-the-record retreat; something that I lampooned in my novel "$everance". How this off-the-record retreat of the people who control the vast majority of the information we receive as a country hasn't sparked conspiracy theories is beyond my comprehension.

Tom Taylor speculates about this year's confab in his column today: "Who’s flying their private jets to Sun Valley this week? The two top execs at CBS, Les Moonves and Joe Ianiello. Things might get awkward if they bump into Philippe Dauman of Viacom, who will sit on the board of the Redstone family trust that oversees both companies after Sumner’s passing. Current Disney chief Bob Iger will be there with COO Tom Staggs. So will the Murdochs, and Apple CEO Tim Cook."

I find this whole thing incredibly fascinating. These guys are all billionaires, and they all hate each other, yet they never miss a chance to attend. What on earth goes on at these meetings?

Sarah Palin's Subscription Service is Ended

She was offering yearly subscriptions to her online channel for only $99. The Hollywood Reporter says that she has decided to pull the plug on that.

No word as to the reasoning. My favorite line from the article is this: "It's unclear how many subscribers had signed up for the service."

Is the clock beginning to run out on her 15 minutes? You Betcha.

It was a good run, Sarah. Good luck on that book you're writing "of short meditations applying biblical principles to such contemporary issues as economics and human trafficking." I'm sure that will be a masterpiece.

Jared's Very Bad Day

Subway has already removed all references to Jared on all their websites and social media outlets, while saying they are "very concerned" about the raid.

They should be.

CBS News reported that Jared is a suspect.

Harry Shearer is Back After All

I was just talking to a big Simpsons fan a few weeks ago who was distraught about Harry Shearer leaving the show. I laughed and said--"Don't worry, he'll be back. It's called negotiations."

He's back.

I honestly wasn't worried.

Now *That's* a Cover

Courtesy of the Lawrence Welk show...

Lester's First Hit

It took him ten years in the big leagues to do it, but Cubs pitcher Jon Lester finally got his first big league hit last night.

Sadly, it was in a losing cause, but that wasn't his fault.

My sister Cindy and son Sean are using my tickets to see the early game today.

Oscar Peterson

Incredible video from 1979. The great Oscar Peterson explains piano styles to Dick Cavett. Amazing...

Say it ain't so, Jared

The feds have raided the home of Subway spokesperson Jared Fogel.

They are looking for child porn.

Wish I was kidding about that. Remember, he hasn't been charged with anything yet, but this can't be a good development.

No Prison Time for Rupert's Features Editor

The final sentence of the phone hacking trial in England was handed down yesterday, and 49 year old features editor Jules Stenson received a four month suspended sentence, which means he's not going to jail. The judge had some compassion for him. From the AP...

The judge said Stenson "was put in a position of competing with people working on the news desk who he knew were phone hacking, and his editor condoned the practice."

And so it ends. Nine of Rupert's employees were convicted in the case--including a few of Rupert's hand-picked editors like Andy Coulson, who later served as the Prime Minister's spokesperson. Next time you hear one of Rupert's other media outlets criticizing the mainstream media, keep in mind that this is the same organization that has been convicted of criminal activity. Nine times.

World Cup Final Viewer Totals

Yesterday I noted that it was the most watched women's soccer game in American history. I need to revise that slightly. It's even more than that. It's the most watched SOCCER game in American history--men or women.

That's absolutely incredible.

Adweek has the details.

Cosby Admits It

Portions of the 2005 case against Cosby have been unsealed, and the big bombshell revelation is that he essentially admits to using drugs in exactly the way women have described.

More details are here, including an analysis of what this means.

Tim Huston

News about a former Chicago radio vet, courtesy of the RAMP Newsletter...

Beasley Media Group has appointed Tim Huston as General Sales Manager for the Company's six-station cluster in Greenville-New Bern-Jacksonville, NC. Huston started his radio career in Chicago, working in the programming department at WLUP (97.9 The Loop) and WMVP-AM under Evergreen Media. He later crossed over to the sales side at ABC Radio's WXCD/Chicago. From there, Huston served as a Market Manager for Cumulus Media in Michigan and as a Sales Manager in several Citadel markets. He later returned to Chicago as the Local Sales Manager with Merlin Media.

No Game Today

This is an interesting esoteric look at Comiskey Park, back in the 60s...

Historic Date

From today's The Olde Disc Jockey's Almanac...

July 6, 1957…John Lennon and Paul McCartney were introduced to each other at a church social where Lennon's band, the Quarrymen, was playing. In the church basement between sets, 15-year-old McCartney taught 16-year-old Lennon to play and sing Eddie Cochran's, "Twenty Flight Rock" and Gene Vincent's "Be-Bop-A-Lula." Lennon was also impressed when McCartney showed him and the group's Eric Griffiths how to tune their guitars, something they had been paying someone else to do for them.

Found this video of a live performance of "Be Bop A Lula"

$190

Not proud of it. Just being honest.

Record Breaker

According to the preliminary ratings, the USA-Japan game is the highest rated women's soccer game in history. Huge TV numbers.

It pulled a 15.2 overnight rating, which is even better than the 1999 championship game (13.3).

The details are here.

Even the Great Ones Got Cut

This is a must read article for all kids in youth sports who get cut from their teams. It's about six girls from the World Cup team who were also cut when they were younger, and used it to motivate them to greater heights. It's actually quite inspiring.

Trump is Lawyering Up

Is there anyone who spends more money on lawyers than Donald Trump?

Well, his latest comments about Mexicans and the fallout against his "brave truth telling" (actual words used to describe it by Fox and Friends) is about to lead to a bunch of lawsuits filed by the Donald. His lawyer was on the Sunday talk shows discussing their plans. The Hollywood Reporter has the details.

I suspect he won't win those lawsuits. Every contract has a clause allowing for actions like the ones taken by NBC and others. On the other hand, our legal system is notoriously unpredictable.

World Cup Champs!

ESPN Wants Olbermann to Stop Doing Commentary

Keith Olbermann's in the midst of a contract negotiations with ESPN, and while they have offered him a contract to re-up with the network, they may have put a proviso in the contract they know he won't sign.

They've asked him to stop doing commentary. The Hollywood Reporter has the details.

Women's Soccer

Don't look now, but America is getting Women's Soccer fever. The Final is on Sunday (USA vs. Japan--a rematch of 2011 final).

The semi-final game vs. Germany scored the highest ratings for Fox since the finale of their juggernaut series "Empire".

Adweek has the details.

35 years ago today...

...Airplane was released. Have you ever been in a Turkish prison?

I don't think Sammy will be joining Van Halen again

He's a little upset at the shots Eddie is taking at Michael Anthony, and I think rightfully so. (NSFW)

Twitter Snarks Jindal

Bobby Jindal thought he was being hip by telling his followers to use the #askbobby hashtag on Twitter if they have any questions for him. He apparently isn't familiar with how mean and snarky Twitter is. There are some hilarious questions under that hashtag if you want to be entertained.

Here are a few of my favorites...

#AskBobby So you say state employees can deny same-sex marriage licenses? Are we free to choose which laws to obey? (Tweeted while driving)

— Bryan Behar (@bryanbehar) July 1, 2015

My neighbor is a kind, hard working, undocumented immigrant contributing to society in a positive way. Where can I report him? #AskBobby

— Chase (@chasebrignac) July 1, 2015

Can anyone pet a dinosaur or just Jesus, @BobbyJindal? #AskBobby pic.twitter.com/KlqKoWZ6wJ

— Scott Wooledge (@Clarknt67) June 30, 2015

Which spice girl is your favorite and if you had a chance, what laws would you pass to oppress them for having a uterus? #AskBobby

— Zora Neale Thirstin (@CarefreeBlkGirl) June 30, 2015

Many have responded to the news of your candidacy with laughter. Thoughts? #AskBobby

— Bearded Stoner (@beardedstoner) June 30, 2015

Mark Grote

My latest column for the Illinois Entertainer has been posted. This month I interviewed Cubs radio broadcaster Mark Grote.

You can read it here.

Dylan Gardner

The latest tour video from Landecker & the Legends offspring Dylan Gardner...

Worst Simpsons Impressions Ever

Actually Ned Flanders isn't awful, but the rest of them are whoo-boy-bad. Remember this video the next time you hear him say the president was not acting "presidential"...

USA! USA! USA!

Don't look now, but the USA's Women's National Soccer Team is in the World Cup Finals in Canada. They'll face the winner of tonight's England-Japan match on Sunday.

Watch these girls if you get the chance. They've got a great chance of winning the biggest title in soccer.

Is it possible that Smooth Jazz was wrongly killed by PPM?

That's the premise of this piece in 538. They analyazed the statistics and think that the PPM ratings measuring service wasn't working properly in it's early years. Very interesting piece. Here's a short excerpt...

But what if smooth jazz wasn’t killed by neglect, but by bad data? Radio stations run on ratings, and Nielsen is by far the dominant ratings provider, as it is in television. It has a near-monopoly on the biggest markets in the U.S. But many in the industry are starting to wonder if Nielsen has been getting the ratings wrong.

What if people kept listening, but weren’t all being counted anymore? What if a new Nielsen counting method wasn’t working as it was intended to? That failing would hurt many stations in the ratings, but some more than others, and possibly none more than smooth jazz.

I know Steve Dahl also questioned the validity of the new ratings technique when it came out. If it's true, imagine how many lives this has affected.

RIP Dr. Brock

Another former Super-CFL jock died this weekend. Dr Brock, the self-proclaimed "ugliest mother in rock and roll". From this morning's All Access...

Longtime radio veteran WILLIAM GRADY BROCK passed away SUNDAY, JUNE 28th at the age of 66. BROCK spent 42 years in radio, most notably as DR. BROCK on the iconic Top 40 WCFL-A (SUPER CFL)/CHICAGO.




Brock had a hand in the creation of John Landecker's "Boogie Check" although he may never have known it. This is an excerpt from John Landecker's book "Records Truly Is My Middle Name"...

A lot of people ask me where I came up with the name. Well, I called it “Boogie Check” because of something J.J. Jeffrey did before he went out on dates. He used to conduct a sixty second “booger check” to make sure he didn’t have any boogers in his mustache. I figured, if you could have a sixty second booger check, why not a sixty second “Boogie” check? My competition at WCFL (our arch rival station) was a guy named Dr. Brock, and his calling card was the word “Boogie.” I figured I would tweak him, and have some fun, so I just started answering the phones live on the air by saying “Boogie Check. You talkin’ to me?” (the last line taken from Robert DeNiro’s character in Taxi Driver). If the person on the other end of the line didn’t respond quickly, I hung up on them, and went to the next line.

Gay Wedding Advice

This is a funny bit...

Ed Tyll

Fans of the old Loop in the early 90s remember the late night talk show host Ed Tyll. He had a catchy jingle..."You may not like what he says, Ed Tyll. But he'll say it anyway, Ed Tyll."

Whatever happened to Ed? Well he was just named CEO of Starcom, a podcasting network.

Radio Ink has the details.

I agree with Michael Gerson

That's a headline I never thought I would write. Gerson was a speechwriter for George W. Bush, and is a staunch social conservative (which I am not). But he wrote quite eloquently today in the Washington Post about the gay marriage debate. You should read it if you get a chance. It's here.

I think Gerson gets it right. Conservatives are right to feel that judges probably shouldn't be making such an important decision, but they are completely wrong to feel we weren't already heading in that direction on our own--and at light speed (politically speaking). It was inevitable. It was the will of the people.

In fact, he argues, the success of the gay marriage movement wasn't because they were pushing for people to be pro-gay. They were pushing for people to be pro-commitment--which is completely in line with conservative and liberal thought. It unifies us as a nation. In the 36 states that already have gay marriage, absolutely nothing has happened since it became legal. "Traditional" marriage hasn't been harmed or affected in the slightest.

Chris Squire

Sad news. The bassist from Yes, Chris Squire, has passed away. This is how Yes' official facebook page made the announcement...

It’s with the heaviest of hearts and unbearable sadness that we must inform you of the passing of our dear friend and Yes co-founder, Chris Squire. Chris peacefully passed away last night in Phoenix Arizona.

He may go down as one of two or three greatest bass players of all-time. The only one I can think of that compares is John Entwistle. Just listen to his work in this song...

Donald Trump

Has there ever been a more obviously unqualified (in temperament) presidential candidate in history than Donald Trump?

His latest moronic move--banning Univision staff from his properties and publishing a Univision anchor's cellphone number--because they said mean things about him. That's the reaction of a spoiled 15-year-old boy.

Imagine this horse's ass having access to nuclear weapons.

LATE UPDATE: NBC has dumped Trump. Here is their statement: “At NBC, respect and dignity for all people are cornerstones of our values. Due to the recent derogatory statements by Donald Trump regarding immigrants, NBCUniversal is ending its business relationship with Mr. Trump. To that end, the annual Miss USA and Miss Universe Pageants, which are part of a joint venture between NBC and Trump, will no longer air on NBC. In addition, as Mr. Trump has already indicated, he will not be participating in The Apprentice on NBC. Celebrity Apprentice is licensed from Mark Burnett’s United Artists Media Group and that relationship will continue.”

LATER UPDATE: Trump now says he is suing NBC.

Chet Coppock

I'm a fan of the Radio Misfits podcasting group. They've been doing a good job acquiring podcasts.

Their latest is a new podcast by Chet Coppock.

Family Day At Wrigley

The Cubs do a great event every year for their season ticket holders. They call it Family Day, and they open up the ballpark and let the season ticket holders explore. I'm a partial season-ticket holder (I share my season tickets with 8 others--we each get nine games), so I was invited to participate. I took my youngest son Sean (the only one in the family who wanted to go) and we had a great time.

We saw the dugouts, the clubhouses, the batting cages. We played catch on the warning track. We met former Cub Bobby Dernier. And we kept saying stuff like..."this is soooo cool."

Seth & Amy School Sports Illustrated Writer

Love this. Love the women's soccer team. Go USA.

Supreme Court Comes Through

Yesterday was a big day. My son with a pre-existing condition is going to be able to get health insurance the rest of his life.

Today was bigger. Today the Supreme Court ruled in favor of gay marriage. To me, this was the biggest no-brainer of all time.

I'm proud of you Supreme Court!

I'll admit after those Citizens United and Voting Rights rulings I was starting to lose faith.

Guess Who is Number 1?

From this morning's RAMP Newsletter, this was surprising news...

James Taylor's Before This World debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart, selling 96,000 units, according to Nielsen Music. It marks first No. 1 album in Taylor's 45-year music career. A jubilant Taylor recorded a brief and sincere thank you video and posted it on his Facebook page.

One of the songs is about the Red Sox and it's called "Angels of Fenway"...

America's Next Weatherman

This sounds like it could be a pretty funny reality series. It's being produced by Funny or Die and Mark Burnett for TBS, and it's called "America's Next Weatherman". The winner of the show gets a gig on CNN.

There's more info at the Hollywood Reporter.