Selling the Katsak: A Dirty Job

I want to buy whatever Mike Rowe is selling. Like, for example, the Katsak Cat Toy.

And the S.S. Noah Carry Bag ("Mainly it's just a novelty bag. If you really need a lot of carrying space, you probably don't, you know, want this."). And the Original Lava Lamp ("It does get warm. Not scalding hot. ...Just a tad warm.").

See these and other choice selections from early '90's QVC, starring Discovery Channel regular Mike Rowe, over at Clary Novels.

Siskel and Ebert and Roeper and Others and the Movies

Roger Ebert is one of the most brilliant writers I've read, and that's no joke. He is, of course, my favorite movie critic (although I'll be the first to admit his writing suffered during his health battles). He is a man who is both fiercely intelligent and absolutely genuine. Roger recently wrote a journal entry (appropriately titled "The balcony is closed") about the history of his television show and specific recollections surrounding it's successes, in response to the news of it's producers taking it in a "new direction."

In that article, Roger posted a couple YouTube videos of some promo outtakes with himself and Gene Siskel. These guys are pretty awesome.

"I can't just sit at home and do nothing..."

The deadly earthquake that hit China nearly a month ago continues to deeply affect a lot of people. Cartoonist Coco Wang has written and drawn some amazing sequential art, documenting real-life stories of hope and tragedy. Read the ongoing set at paulgravett.com.

Wang writes: "Thousands of heart-breaking stories are happening 24 hours non-stop everyday, some are so sad that you can hardly bear, some are incredibly moving that you just can't stop crying... I wanted to go to the front to help with all those people ... but I heard that the traffic needed to be kept totally clear for rescue transportation at the moment. ... I have never felt more proud of my country and people ... their love, courage and kindness rock me to my core! I am going to send you comic strips almost everyday from now on, I hope you could know something about the earthquake in China, although you don't have to do anything, but I hope you could feel our love and hope."

Read the ongoing collection here.

You Shall Pass!

According to Empire (by way of the man himself), Ian McKellen is likely to reprise his Oscar-nominated role as Gandalf in Guillermo del Toro's Hobbit films.

All I can say is ...Whew.

Tina Fey To Return To 30 Rock To Host 'SNL'

I don't usually watch Saturday Night Live. But in SNL's first post-Strike broadcast (Feb. 23), Tina Fey will be returning to 30 Rockefeller Center to host the show she once worked for. I'll watch it because I think Fey is a comic genius, and 30 Rock, her scripted series based around an SNL-style variety show, is so funny I want to take it behind the middle school and get it pregnant.

But here's the thing: when Fey was head writer for Live (the first woman to hold that position), the show was in one of it's worst creative slumps in recent years. It was during her reign that I really stopped watching the show (although, in all fairness, blame can also be placed on Jimmy Fallon, whose biggest talents were botching his lines and mugging for the camera). So I wonder: How will the performer in Fey (who recently won a Screen Actors Guild award for her work on 30 Rock) fare without the pressure of heading the chaos of a live television show? When she was behind the Weekend Update desk, SNL was actually (wouldn't-you-know-it?) funny. That's not to say the WGA-card-carrying scribe is a bad writer (she isn't, not by a long shot), but... Well, I don't know. That's the thing. Why didn't SNL work better with her in charge? ... I guess that's why I'll be tuning in on Saturday night, to see what's changed.

P.S.: Tina,
If you're reading this, ditch your husband and marry me.
xoxo Ben

The Best Thing About The End of the Writers' Strike

The chance for Once stars Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova to perform their Oscar-nominated song "Falling Slowly" live on-stage at the Academy Awards.