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 Good morning. Or as John Kerry would say, Bon Jour.  --It was a joke Dick Cheney used frequently during the 2004 presidential election. Now it's '08, and you just have to ask if the Democrats don't even need Cheney to deliver grief upon themselves: they can do just fine on their own, thank you. 

Look at the speakers' list for the Denver Democratic Convention: Jimmy Carter, Al Gore, Hillary Clinton and her husband, and the aforementioned Kerry. Is all this Barack Obama's big mistake?

Trust me:  I'm not taking sides, I'm merely pointing out Obama calls himself the candidate of change,  So what does he do?  He trots out all the old familiar faces. Emphasis on old and on familiar. And some --and by some, I mean all-- with histories that make them easy targets for rallying the opposition.

Furthermore, isn't this supposed to be Obama's time to shine? And he's giving two nights to the Bill and Hill Show? The poor shnook  who operates the spotlight will get whiplash. And then the candidate of change appears on the very same night as Al Gore, the "world's most sleep-inducing rock star."

Frankly, I don't expect much more from the GOP. It's gonna be a long couple of conventions. 

 

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Should the national drinking age be lowered from 21 to 18? Here's the short version of the story:

(AP) -- Presidents of about 100 of the nation's best-known colleges and universities are calling on lawmakers to lower the drinking age from 21 to 18. They say current laws actually encourage dangerous binge drinking on campus. The school chiefs are already facing sharp criticism. Mothers Against Drunk Driving says lowering the drinking age would lead to more fatal car crashes.

If enough Let's Blog! readers take the poll, I'll push for reporting the results on the air. It'd be unscientific, but sometimes sheer volume tells us the passion for a given issue.

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...and...

leave your reasons, by clicking on Comments, below

For a daily blog, you're gonna see this one for a few days, but with good reason. I'm outta town (burglars, take note: my neighbor calls herself Glady Kravitz; so don't bother). The daily page-view #s will fall through the floor, and I'll have to answer to one of my eight supervisors. (I have eight supervisors. Eight.) But that's OK, because this is one of my favorite weeknds of the year. It's time for the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.  Basically, it's several days of car-guy heaven.

What makes it great is the combination of seeing cars and car-loving friends. And the scenery is really pretty. And then you eat. One of my favorite events takes place on the Friday before the big show on Sunday . I'm telling you, this is a lot of shows over a lot of days. The Friday show is called simply The Quail. (Click on that link for great pictues from last year.) The Quail wisely limits ticket sales, so the field, at the Beautiful Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley (no, I am not getting a kickback from them), is never overcrowded. I love to walk the field with my car magazine friends and listen to them point out all the stuff  I'd miss. And the catering makes you feel like youj've dropped into somebody else's swanky party.

This year, Italian manufacturer Maserati will be there, offering select drivers a chance to drive an even hotter version of its stunning GranTurismo (pictured, left). I had a chance to drive the 'regular' version, and fell in love  with the styling (no, I am not getting a kickback from them), but I wished for a tiny bit more ooomph.  I hope I can figure out what 'select' means, to wrangle an invite to drive. I suppose that would be a kickback. I'll report back.

The whole thing kicks off with a test-drive up the coast in the newly restyled Mazda 6 (no, I am not getting.... oh, nevermind). I've become a Mazda convert over the past few years: they're a lot of bang for the buck, with styling that's more exciting than most Asian manufacturers.

If you're not a car-guy  --and remember, it's a gender nonspecific term-- well, you probably haven't read this far anyway. But if you are, you'll understand why I think of this weekend as living large outside the studio.

Gosh, the little girl who sang at the opening of the Olympics was adorable. Pixie Cute, she was.  And could she sing!

 ...Hmmmm.  No. It turns out, no she could not.  She was lipsynching. 

Now, moving your lips, while somebody else's voice is heard is nothing new around here (see Madonna, Britney Spears, Hillary Clinton), but the Olympics are supposed to be all about "what mankind really is capable of."   Apparently, the Chinese organizers thought the girl who did the actual singing didn't have enough zotz, so they trotted out the adorable ringer.

First, we learned that the opening ceremonies fireworks display were in fact computer-generated special effects. Now this. Say, we are seeing what mankind really is capable of, aren't we?

PS: Whoever ponied up all that loot to broadcast The Games should be fired: it turns out the whole thing coulda been done with Final Cut Pro on a Mac.

   No more flip-flopping for me: I've finally made up my mind.  It came to me last night. The best sports movie ever,  is not The Natural, it's Hoosiers. The Natural has some truly great moments: "Hobbs didn't like the call: well, welcome to the majors." Hobbs, of course was the amazing Robert Redford.

But like Redford, Gene Hackman can command more respect at a whisper, than most actors can generate at 110 decibels. Watch right here, as the new coach to small-town Indiana "talks" to the locals.  The smile never leaves his face, he never tips his hand, and he remains respectful up to the very last frame.

Hoosiers clip here.

Of course, Hoosiers is much more than just a sports movie:  there are so many life lessons in it, it's hard to single any one out.  And the photography and production design are subtle, the musical score (Jerry Goldsmith) is pitch-perfect, and it doesn't hurt that I spent my high school years away from California, in small-town Indiana, and can vouch for its authenticity.

There's a special edition DVD of Hoosiers that's worth checking out for deleted scenes that  gave the movie an additional whole layer, but at the same time are completely unnecessary. At least that's how I remember it:  I lent my copy to Henry DiCarlo a year ago, and he still hasn't returned it. But I know this much: Hoosiers is the best sports movie.

Of course, if you disagree.... that's why there's a Comments section, below.

...because I had computer issues, and  couldn't write it.  Sorry: that's a really cheap come-on. I owe you one.  Demand your money back. But I'll tell you this now: the one I'm planning for Monday is really, really good.. Have a good weekend.

   Oh Good Lord. I don't think I've lost my sense of humor entirely, it's just that I don't know what to make of this online ad featuring hotel heiress Paris Hilton . First --as if you haven't seen it 10 times in the past 24 hours-- take a look, then read on.

Paris Hilton Ad Here.

So what's my problem? Nah... what's her point? Is she really so desperate for attention that she thinks it's good to be seen this way? She announces to the camera that she's "hot," which (rightly or not) I always figured was someone else's call to make. Her acting is tremendously self-conscious;  and she calls  the Presidential candidates as b****es. Is this the same Paris who left jail after her demeaning glug-glug/vroom-vroom/screeeeech conviction, promising to devote her time to more worthy endevours? I'd list what they were, but the specifics were never really clear.

This ad is supposed to be funny.   I guess I have lost my sense of humor entirely.  I didn't laugh with her . Heck, I didn't even laugh at her. I just kinda shook my head. Do I need to lighten up?  Or does she need to grow up.

What would you say to her? Here's your chance to talk to Paris Hilton. Click on Comments, below,  and leave your thoughts. Maybe she'll read them.  Or get somebody to tell her what you've said.

   Something a little different.  A video tour behind the scenes on our set. Meteorologist Josh Rubenstein set it up. He now "vlogs" (as in , video blogs).

 The link is below. Just make sure you pick the video that shows him and me together, or there's no telling what you'd be in for.

   Now, click here,  and feel free to leave your thoughts in Comments, below.

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A discussion turned into an 'animated' discussion this past weekend with a friend I consider pretty well-versed on such things.  He says there is all sorts of research that supports the theory that cats are in fact smarter than dogs.  I'd always heard the opposite, but then, I'm from a family of dog lovers.

Anybody know of any reliable research?  I'd like to settle this (and, candidly, be right). Click on Comments, below, and for Pete's sake,

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