The Daily Grill

No Flipflops?

Gotta love the media. When an unliked candidate changes their position on an issue, they're said to "flipflop" about, which comes across as being "wishy-washy". Like John Kerry in the last Presidential run. But when someone's more favored, it's a different story. Take Fredhorn (aka Fred Thompson) -- in Sunday's NYTimes they recount his shifting outlook on a number of issues, including campaign finance, immigration and illegal wiretapping. Rather than being a flipflopper, however, he's said to have "refined some of the positions" taken earlier in his political career. On, and I guess because his name's so ordinary, there's an effort to "President him up" by throwing in his middle initial: Fred D. Thompson. Which is probably a ploy to get some of the dumber liberals to think the D stands for "Democrat".

Inside The Outsource

The standing joke about calling tech support and getting help from someone in India is ready for an overhaul. There's a story in the NYTimes today  how Indian high tech companies are now outsourcing to the United States. So who knows? The next time that guy at the call center says he's "Vincent in Denver", it might be true.

Wi-Fi Not

According to a story I saw on Yahoo! today, cities like San Francisco and Chicago are scrapping plans to offer city-wide WiFi networks because, well, I think they suddenly realized that they were going to be FREE. Oops. The last time San Francisco gave anything away for free, it was VD tests at the Free Clinic in the Haight.

World's Most Obvious Punchline

The world's most celebrated mime, France's Marcel Marceau, passed away over the weekend at the age of 84. His final words were "              !"

Best Sandwich Ever

NBC's Today show is running a contest to find “the best sandwich in America”, having people vote for one out of five that they featured on the show this week from different restaurants around the country. A friend of mine, Lewis Rossman, is the executive chef at Sam’s Chowder House in Half Moon Bay and created the lobster roll that’s in competition! If you get a second to click over to the Today show website, hit the Vote for America’s best sandwich! link on the upper right and click in a vote for the California Lobster Roll, he just might beat those snotty chefs from New Orleans, New York, Chicago and Philadelphia... (you can vote thru next Tuesday...)

Assassination Characters

Creating names is one of the very few things I know a little something about and it can be a powerful thing. And it's an influential tool when used to employ an euphemism -- otherwise known as slapping pretty over ugly. Currently it's being employed liberally about the situation in Iraq if you look at stories surrounding the Blackwater Security fracas. The guys being maligned are described as "contractors", which paints a pictured of friendly guys in jeans, chewing gum and scratching their butts while working on a house. Even the left-leaning NYTimes uses the government-issued moniker, although in simpler, unspun times these hombres were called mercenaries. Then or now, they're really guns for hire that don't care what side they're blazing away for so much as making their going rate. Knowing that should make you want to look a lot closer at some of the names, words and phrases being used on both sides of the conflict. Conflict? What the heck. Let's call it "war".

Blackwater Just Keep Rollin'

It looks our li'l pals in the fledgling Iraqi government are finally starting to grow some falafels. In yanking the license of the Blackwater private security firm and ordering their trigger-happy, beyond-the-reach of the law personnel out of the country. If this keeps up, our boys and girls in uniform might be coming home by getting themselves 86'd.

The Disconnected

Here in California today, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a law that keeps teenage drivers from using  cell phones, iPhones, pagers, laptops or other popular communications gadgets while they're behind the wheel. The law goes into effect next July 1st, the same day the hands-free law for everyone kicks in. Ironic, isn't it? The only people with the hand-eye coordination to pull off texting and driving at the same time are forced to stop, while their Luddite brainless parents get to keep swerving all over the road just trying to change the radio station.

Less Is More...Confusing?

The western German town of Bohmte has determined that they can make the way safer for pedestrians by getting rid of ALL of their auto traffic controls in the downtown area. Starting today, all traffic signs, stop signs, crosswalks and anything else that creates a dividing line between man and man-in-machine will be gone or ignored. The mayor says it's a new system called "Shared Space", where peds and cars will now have equal reich-of-way. Sounds like they're ditching traffic control for population control to me.

Big Ol' Shameless Plug

Folks close to San Francisco can check out what I look, sound and smell like on the other side of the Web:

Cobb's Comedy Club and SF Sketchfest Present

Cobb's Comedy Improv All Stars

with Jeff Garlin from "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
Matt Walsh from the Upright Citizens Brigade
Rick Overton from Totally Looped and "Eight Legged Freaks"
Seth Morris from The Naked Babies
Marc Hershon and more special guests

Wednesday, September 26 at 8:00pm
Info and tickets at www.cobbscomedyclub.com.

Jeff Garlin started his career with Second City, the famed improvisational comedy troupe in Chicago, before going on to executive produce and co-star in the critically acclaimed HBO series "Curb Your Enthusiasm," a comedy which used improvisation techniques rather than having scripted dialogue. Garlin tours the country as a stand-up comedian and has written and starred in three critically acclaimed solo shows. Matt Walsh is a founding member of the "Upright Citizens Brigade," and wrote and starred in their show which appeared on Comedy Central for three seasons. He has appeared on "Dog Bites Man", "Arrested Development" and as a correspondent on "The Daily Show," as well as appearances on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," "Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn" and "Late Friday."

Seth Morris is a founding member of the improv group Naked Babies and the artistic director of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles. Rick Overton, who recently co-starred in the film Eight Legged Freaks, is a veteran stand-up comic who has performed on "The Tonight Show," "Late Night with David Letterman," "Comic Relief" and HBO's "One Night Stand," among many others. Known for his high energy stand-up, Overton also frequently appears with "Un-Cabaret," an off-beat LA-based troupe of alternative stand-up comedians as well as with the improv troupe "The Fugitives" at The Improvisation on Melrose, where he is often joined by improv veteran Marc Hershon. Hershon once ran The Comedy Underground nightclub in Seattle, where he hosted TheatreSports and he has performed with numerous improv troupes since then, including The Riffingtons, which he started at Cobb's Comedy Club at its old location in the Cannery.