Building on yesterday, because I left a hanging curve out there for you.

Okay, so you understand, the key thing is, my uncle is one of the Skyliners. Not an original, but still. S'anyway, now I see that the Doo Wop tape that WQED had been hawking through PBS stations and running as a special is now a Time Life joint. I wasn't expecting that to come on the air during Hardball.

Meanwhile, on a total coincidental path, I stumble across this site, only to see that my cousin, stepson of the abovementioned, has currently the top personal weblog of the day. Synchronicity, all spooky-like.

Chris Nolte pointed out the similarity between Joe Lieberman and Senator Palpatine. But before anyone accuses me of partisanship, I need to point out that I'm fairly convinced that the president bears a striking resemblance to children's book character The Tangerine Bear. Admittedly the picture I found isn't a good example, the stuffed ones I saw at Half Price Books look a whole lot more like him.

As much as I hate to bring up the idea of theatre of cruelty (because of the chest-thumping obscurity it brings these days), it was the one unshakable notion that filled my head watching Cram. Basic premise, keep people up for 24 hours, make them memorize the most ridiculous data (such as instant messaging abbreviations, and the contents of the Globe tabloid), then force them to spew said data while doing such things as run in a hamster wheel, doing military rifle drills, and balancing on a small pedestal. Any reason to watch? Only to watch people suffer. Any reason to try to get on? Well, if you're a quiz bowler, you might have the memorization down, though it's the kind of thing where, if you value quiz bowl knowledge, you'll find this beneath you. And if you're like me, and look at all quiz bowl knowledge as equally valuable only in the context of quiz bowl, and pretty much useless everywhere else, you'll probably think it would be interesting, but not worth the effort based on the return. Then again, all of these new reality games, I'd really like to see fail. Well, except for Joe Millionaire, that one I want to see be a smashing success. Just so they have to do it again... And then those who create the shows get thrown into theater of cruelty.