In the Loop: January 6, 2009 Archive

A Christmas Carol . . . starring pretty much all of NPR

Posted at 12:31 PM on January 6, 2009 by Sanden Totten

Maybe in all the holiday excitement (or in your rum and egg-nog induced haze) you forgot to tune into NPR last week. I certainly did. But oh did I miss out. Fortunately some one sent me a link to what may be the best holiday special since Star Wars.

Tiny Ira says, "may our listeners, who contribute more than 50 percent of our income . . . may they bless us everyone!"(photo by kuer90.1 via Creative Commons)

So do yourself a favor and check out A 'Car Talk Carol'. It's dog-pile of notable NPR voices doing a send up of the old Dickensian classic. There's Click and Clack as the Scroogiozzi Brothers, Robert Cratchit Siegel and of course Tiny Ira. Tiny Ira's crippling disability is that he is tragically too sincere, believing that any story can have meaning if enough acoustic guitar is played underneath it. Ira's monologue on the Teletubbies is genius.

The one really grating thing about the special though is the constant laugh track provided by Click and Clack. It's like their studio ventilation system is 50% nitrous oxide. They laugh at the sound of their own laughter. What's with that guys? But overall, it's worth a listen.

Sanjay Gupta: From talking head to...official talking head

Posted at 4:18 PM on January 6, 2009 by Jeff Horwich (5 Comments)

Gupta for Surgeon General...or so says the Washington Post.

It's a bold move, and maybe a worthy precedent. Here are some other ideas for remaining Obama administration posts:

Jack Bauer: National Intelligence Director

Ryan Seacrest: Director of the NEA

Sam Waterston: Solicitor General

Sergeant Slaughter: Secretary of Veterans Affairs

Sharon Osborne: Secretary of American Talent (new cabinet post)

In all truth, he's probably as well qualified as anyone for what is largely a P.R. job. And he's a legit neurosurgeon, apparently.

But it's still funny. And it might be a little tougher to make the jump to public figure after CNN has given him the Anderson-Cooper-treatment. (Gupta image from CNN - I added the seal.)

Any other ideas for folks who could make the leap from the small screen to the halls of actual power?

Comment on this post