Sunday morning’s aren’t nearly as much fun anymore. Not long ago I’d heft the Strib off the doorstep, chuck out the ads, the news and the sports and dig right into my favorite column, "The Readers’ Representative." Having worked for a decade and a half at a daily newspaper, I miss hearing first hand the […]
Who Doesn’t Love Sam & Sylvia Kaplan?
December 18, 2007 by
Years ago, comedian Bill Murray was talking with the press about great careers, longevity, and what really defines success. Murray had had several hits at the time, made good money, was considered for practically every big-budget comedy script in town, and by any Hollywood standard was the envy of his peers. "But I want to […]
What Will Dan Barreiro Do?
November 19, 2007 by
You want to feel a cone of silence? Call around to KFAN and KSTP and ask what’s up with Dan Barreiro? You gotta hope the U.S. spy satellite program has security this tight. As has been reported here and by Judd Zulgad over at the Strib, Barreiro is at that rare moment in a broadcaster’s […]
Randy, The Reader's Rep …
November 17, 2007 by
(A semi-regular Q&A with "Randy" the new Star Tribune Reader’s Representative, most frequently found on the corner stool at the Dry Dock roadhouse, in the shadow of the big microwave tower, Chaffey, Wisconsin.) Randy, Your Reader’s Rep: Dang but stuff piles up. I come back from baitin’ a few bear traps, havin’ a couple beers […]
Last Night's Debate: Bite Me, Wolf.
November 16, 2007 by
Now that we’ve more or less cleared up that "illegal immigrants with driver licenses" issue, the line I was pleading for one of the Democrats to throw back last night was, "Wolf, do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound? Do you ever get tired of this ‘gotcha’ crap?" Something like that probably would […]
The TV Writers Strike: Reverb into Newsrooms?
November 15, 2007 by
The average couch tuber probably isn’t tracking this TV writers strike too much. Not beyond fretting over an early end to Heroes and no new Daily Shows. Beyond that the affected "workers," a lot of smart-ass Bimmer-driving West L.A. espresso sippers, are never going to win an outpouring of empathy from the people who obsessively […]
Banana Republic Fades into the Sunset
November 14, 2007 by
Damn! Over here I keep a list of great story ideas and names of people I’ve really got to get around to catching up with, just to see what their story is today. Like MPR’s Bill Kling. Like all the guys who played in The Warheads years ago. And like Kirk Anderson, the former cartoonist […]
Prominent Local Attorney Wins "Golden Wingnut" Award!
November 7, 2007 by
Not being much of a fan of show biz and media award shows – I mean, what explains WCCO’s “Good Question” guy beating out Pat Kessler for “Best Political Reporting” or whatever it was called at this year’s local Emmys? – I usually just ignore the latest Winner du Jour. Except … when the news […]
Meet the New Readers' Rep. — Same as the Old
November 6, 2007 by
RYBAK: Oh gosh, that Nancy Barnes. How does the girl do it? She’s editor of the Star Tribune and still found time these past two weeks to write a Sunday column filling us in on all the neat goings-on at the paper, just like the old readers’ reps used to do. Why, last week she […]
John Hines Out at KTLK
November 5, 2007 by
John Hines’ 17 year-run with Clear Channel and what Clear Channel was before it was Clear Channel ended this morning — a Monday, go figure — when he was told he was being removed from his morning job at KTLK (100.3-FM). Hines was a standard at Clear Channel’s country music K102 until this past March […]