A list of potential post-Jon Stewart DAILY SHOW hosts.

It started with Craig Kilborn in the host's chair, then Jon Stewart led the series into its glory years.
Here's a list of potential replacements:
Aubrey Plaza, Samantha Bee, Billy Eichner, Chris Rock, Aziz Ansari, Jason Sudeikis, Dana Carvey, Ed Helms,  Kristen Schaal, Lewis Black, Sasheer Zamata,.John Fugelsang, Lizz Winstead (co-creator of the series), Maysoon Zayid.

Feel free to comment on the above names.

Bill Cosby as America's Nanny--then and now.

Summary of Bill Cosby's recent appearance on THE DAILY SHOW:
http://t.entertainment.msn.com/bill-cosby-to-jon-stewart-cursing-makes-me-cry

And, for some historical context, here's Eddie Murphy talking about being lectured by Bill Cosby (from EDDIE MURPHY RAW with NSFW content):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0aKNwsrtXw

Barney Frank unexpurgated--the complete interview transcript.

Soon-to-be-retired Congressman Barney Frank gave an interview to NEW YORK magazine.  The edited version runs about nine pages.  But here's a link to all fifteen pages of unfiltered Frank--with content sure to irritate both the Left and the Right:

http://nymag.com/news/features/barney-frank-full-transcript-2012-4/

Rick Sanchez and the ghost of Richard Nixon.

I've never been able to watch now-former CNN cartoon news-anchor blowhard Rick Sanchez for more than a few minutes at a time.  Having said that, I was rather sickened by the anti-Semitic, anti-"Eastern intellectual elite" bilge that Sanchez blurted out on Sirius/XM leading to his firing earlier today:
http://www.aolnews.com/surge-desk/article/rick-sanchez-fired-over-remarks-on-jews-media-jon-stewart/19657894?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-w%7Cdl1%7Csec3_lnk2%7C174810

This is comparable to former President Richard Nixon's hateful anti-Semitic rantings:
http://hnn.us/articles/657.html

CNBC: When you're a cable network encouraging the buying of stock in a scorched-earth economy.....

I'm not sure how many people saw CNBC's Erin Burnett (known as "International Superstar" to MSNBC' s Joe Scarborough) on last night's REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER.


Ms. Burnett, at one point, resorted to tired Republican talking points about the rich paying too many taxes and even used the phrase "wealth destruction"--which caused Maher to justifiably respond with the word bull----.

Read Nikki Finke's recent column entry about CNBC (which is apparently bludgeoning its audience to buy GE stock and raise it from its current doldrums): http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/hey-jeff-immelt-blame-your-own-cnbc/
[UPDATE 3/9/09: Here's a link to a HUFFINGTON POST column mentioning Erin Burnett, plus Joe "GE makes things" Scarborough doing his best to aid General Electric in its hours of pain and decreased profits: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/09/imorning-joei-breaks-out_n_173132.html]
And here's a suggestion for a future CNBC network-branding ad: Have the on-air personalities (including Ms. Burnett, Jim Cramer, Maria Bartiromo and fake-populist trader groupie Rick Santelli) sing or lip-sync an irony-free version of Randy Newman's "It's Money That Matters."
[UPDATE 3/13/09: Glenn Greenwald, in a post-mortem view of the Cramer/Jon Stewart sitdown on last night's THE DAILY SHOW, reminds us that the "don't question what Authority tells us" ethos is still followed by prominent journalists including David Gregory and Charles "Charlie" Gibson: http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/03/13/cramer/]

Village Books in Pacific Palisades raises the bar for stocking self-published/small press books--including poetry.

True story: A few years ago, I would occasionally attend the poetry reading at Village Books on 1049 Swarthmore Avenue in Pacific Palisades, CA. And, back then, I was even allowed to sell the store some self-published saddle-stitched (bound by staples) chapbooks.

A few months back, I visited the store again. To their credit, the do-it-yourself poetry volumes by myself and other poets were now on a carousel, making them easy for store customers to find and consider for purchase.

But when it came time for me to ask them about carrying a recent saddle-stitched poetry chapbook of mine published by a small press based in San Pedro, I was given this new set of rules, which I will reprint below:

CONSIGNMENT/PURCHASING GUIDELINES
Due to the significant increase in requests to stock self-published books (or books not distributed by Ingram or Baker & Taylor) we found it necessary to institute a formalized system for submission of such books. If you would like your book considered for stock, please follow our consignment/purchasing guidelines:
1. All requests must be made in writing. We regret that we are unable to accomodate walk-in visits.
2. In keeping with our general inventory, only bound books with legible titles on their spines will be considered.
3. To submit a book for consideration, please drop off a copy of the book along with a one-paragraph letter including your contact information, any promotional material and a self-addressed stamped envelope with sufficient return postage at current rates. The submission should be marked "Consignment/Purchasing Request" and dropped off at the register or sent to the above [store] address.
4. Our review process takes up to one month. The book (not the promotional materials) will be returned in the self-addressed stamped envelope, along with a letter notifying you of our decision. Books submitted without a self-addressed stamped envelope will be held at Village Books special order cart for pickup. After 90 days, books not picked up will be recycled.
5. If your book is accepted for consignment of purchase, you will have the opportunity to discuss your work with our buyer. Unfortunately, prior to acceptance, requests to contact personnel in person, by phone or email will not be granted.
6. With this in mind, the decision made by our buyer is final.

Village Books is proud to support the writing community through our consignment/purchasing program. We do our best to provide shelf space and display opportunities for consignment books, while still keeping in mind our inventory needs and the interests of our consumers. Consignments are books that Village Books agrees to add to our inventory with the understanding that payment will only be made on completed sales. We look forward to reviewing your work and we thank you for your interest in Village Books.

True story number two: Recently, Jon Stewart guffawed on THE DAILY SHOW about the poem read at the Obama/Biden inauguration--and how the public left en masse because it was placed towards the end of the ceremony. Stewart made a dumb "shouldn't poetry rhyme" comment to boot.

What do these two true stories have in common?

In the case of Village Books, the buying public has little interest in sampling poetry they don't know by poets they've never heard of. This has led to the more severe policy above discouraging the majority of chapbooks/self-published bound volumes from being carried by the store.

And, in Jon Stewart's case, poetry isn't on his radar--and he apparently still equates it with formal rhyme-and-meter learned in school and forgotten decades ago.

Poetry--still ghettoized in the year 2009.

Jay Leno going to prime time: everything old is new again.

Jay Leno, who will now get to take his play-down-to-the-proles version of THE TONIGHT SHOW to prime time, isn't the first host of the show to score a prime-time gig on NBC. Both Steve Allen and Jack Paar went the same route in the 50s and 60s--and if I recall correctly, Paar's prime-time show was much the same as his late-night one.

But neither Parr nor Allen were asked to do an hour show for five nights a week in prime time.

Obviously, Ben Silverman (who for every OFFICE or 30 ROCK comes up with nongenius ideas for "edgy" retoolings of KNIGHT RIDER and THE BIONIC WOMAN) isn't going to walk the plank. So, one can expect NBC to gut their prime-time schedule as much as possible (even past the 16 hours remaining when Leno debuts next year) with more superstupid reality shows and extra helpings of DATELINE NBC.

Perhaps the silver lining in this cloud will be possessed by Conan O'Brien. Free of the spectre of Jay being direct competition on either Fox or ABC, maybe Conan can develop an 11:35 p.m. talk show that can be truly Conanesque [i.e. incorporate more of the LATE NIGHT WITH...show than he thought possible, say, a week ago] and move the tired late-night format into a new era.

At least until Viacom sends David Letterman to early retirement and likely blesses Jon Stewart with the CBS 11:35 p.m. slot.