This will be the day the music died

Miley Cyrus has recorded a "racy" duet with Poison's Bret Michaels. Truly, every rose has its thorn.

Paging Charlie VanDoren

The FCC is looking into a possible fix of "Our Little Genius", the game show pulled from the FOX lineup just days before it was to air.

Ebert on Ebert

I would never be able to understand why anyone would dislike this man. Roger Ebert is as honestly critical about himself as he is about the subjects of his film reviews. Here's a bit of what he had to say about being interviewed in Esquire:

When I turned to it in the magazine, I got a jolt from the full-page photograph of my jaw drooping. Not a lovely sight. But then I am not a lovely sight, and in a moment I thought, well, what the hell. It's just as well it's out there. That's how I look, after all.

For sale: One Victorian dog collar, slightly used. Contact Boz.

A dog collar owned by Charles Dickens sold for $11,590 this week. Last year, someone paid over $9,000 for his gold and ivory toothpick. Hard times, indeed.

A final thought after a mid-winter break spent in the ER

From Jake Lewis. His blog. His artwork.

Roger Ebert's powerful voice

Chris Jones has an amazing profile of Roger Ebert in this month's Esquire. Due to his battle with cancer, Ebert can no longer speak, but his voice lives on through his incredibly powerful writing. If we're lucky, he'll publish a collection of his blog entries. (photo from Esquire)

Helen Keller on Broadway!

Nice article in the NY Times about Abigail Breslin's (Little Miss Sunshine) preparation to play Helen Keller in a revival of The Miracle Worker on Broadway. Funny story: When I mentioned this bit of news to Mrs. Lit Lounge, her first response was, "Is it a musical?"

Helen Keller: The Musical. Oh, to be in the chorus for that!

Another reason to redefine marriage

New Law Would Ban Marriages Between People Who Don't Love Each Other

For President's Day

They Might Be Giants, in a low-quality video, performing James K. Polk. Celebrate the man!

RIP Doug Fieger, Lead Singer of The Knack

"My Sharona" was one of the best songs to come out of the thin-tie era. Killer bass line.

His ashes will be tossed, with a flick of the wrist

Walter Morrison, inventor of the Frisbee, died Tuesday at age 90.

T-Shirt Wars

Enjoy.

Take Heed, Taylor Swift

Singing off-key karaoke in the Philippines can get you killed. In the USA, you win an armload of Grammys.

RIP Len Galloway, GRJA Founder

I can trace my life back to answering a yes/no question: "Would you like to join Junior Achievement?" I said yes, and everything I've done since then relates to that moment. For many high school students, Grand Rapids Junior Achievement introduced us not only to the business world, but to a diverse group of kids from all over Kent County.

Len Galloway founded GRJA in 1956. I was a JAer in high school, then served as Program Manager of GRJA's traditional evening program from 1988-1990. So many local business professionals owe their careers to what this man brought to Grand Rapids a half-century ago.

Mr. Galloway died Sunday at the age of 84.