Happy Birthday Zach Braff

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"4 Minutes" by Madonna (with Justin Timberlake)

Did I mention that Madonna has a new album - her eleventh - coming out April 29th? Well, I haven't mentioned it yet today, anyway. 4 Minutes is the first single from Hard Candy; a duet with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland (who work together so often - and so well - they should just change their name to Justin Timbaland), and as one might expect the song is insanely catchy.

With its release Madonna's longstanding contract with Warner Records will be nearly at an end; only a compilation either later this year or early next remains, neatly tying a bow on a dozen albums which taken together will comprise a remarkable career, beginning when she was signed by Warner-affiliated Sire Records in 1982.

There'll be no writing off Madonna just yet, though; this year she turns fifty, and likely has as many albums in her again as she's already released. Or, if you like, consider things this way: the more encouragement we give her singing the less likely she'll be to return to acting.
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Duke of Edinburgh Discharged From Hospital

The Duke of Edinburgh was released from King Edward VII's Hospital in London today after three days under medical supervision for a pulmonary infection brought on by a persistent heavy cold; the hospitalization was said to be of a precautionary, rather than emergency, nature. It meant, though, that the Prince was forced to miss a Thanksgiving Service at St. George's Chapel, Windsor, for the late mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary, attended by various dignitaries from New Zealand as the newly-widowed Lady June Hillary and that country's Prime Minister, Helen Clark.

Both upon entering and exiting the hospital His Royal Highness was ambulatory; he's said to be recuperating at Windsor Castle, having canceled a scheduled visit with the Queen to the Britannia Royal Naval College (where legend has it they met) in Dartmouth on April 10th.

Now 86, since his early seventies the Queen's husband has been living with a heart condition - which remains unspecified - and is currently patron of the British Heart Foundation. During the recent three-day State Visit to the UK by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his new wife Carla Bruni Prince Philip joined Her Majesty and The Prince of Wales at various engagements looking as robust as ever.

The Pop Culture Institute wishes him a speedy recovery; may he provide us with spectacular gaffes for many years to come.
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Canada's Tories In Gay Slur Shocker

I know, I know, you're shocked... Canada's Conservative Party - populated by nutjobs and peckerwoods of all kinds (besides the usual contingent of douchebags and asshats which typically comprise the political right), the same Conservative Party that tried to revoke marriage equality a full year after it had been passed because its leader (our illustrious Prime Minister Stephen Harper - shown here wearing the costume of the more charismatic, albeit less dangerous, Charles Manson) takes his orders directly from fundamentalist Christians in the United States - has been hit by allegations that some of its members - get this! - might be in possession of ignorant, ill-informed, and bigoted views of gay people!

I know, I know... You coulda knocked me over with a feather - unlike the aluminum baseball bat with which many of these people would prefer to knock me over.

Tom Lukiwski, the current Member of Parliament for the Saskatchewan riding of Regina - Lumsden - Lake Centre, has been shown on a videotape made in 1991 saying "There's A's and there's B's. The A's are guys like me, the B's are homosexual faggots with dirt under their fingernails that transmit diseases." The tape was recently released by that province's left-leaning NDP; also shown on the tape the thoroughly evil current Premier, Brad Wall, being thoroughly evil years before anyone had ever heard of him by mocking the Ukrainian ethnicity of then-NDP leader Roy Romanow.

Although tradition dictates Lukiwski had to make a formal apology, outside the Commons he returned to lying: "If I could take those comments back I would... They do not reflect the type of person that I am," he has said. And yet, they so totally do; obviously he's a pig who gets drunk and blabs hateful bullshit into the nearest camcorder given the slightest opportunity. Still, he seemed to realize that this incident would taint his political career in perpetuity; or at least it will, as long as I have a breath left in my body. He could always co-host a show called Canada's Funniest Career-Immolating Videos with fellow Tory Stockwell Day; I could watch that clip of him arriving at a press conference on a jet-ski over and over again.

A n y w a y... The Prime Minister has refused to discipline Lukiwski further, saying “He has given an unqualified apology — clear, heart-felt remorse for these actions . . . I believe when such apology and remorse is sought from an individual member, the generous and high-minded thing to do is to accept that apology.” Wrong again, Stevie Blunder.

The real irony in all of this: the Conservatives only have a minority government! That must really irk them, having to be a minority...
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"Luff Song" by Lucy Knisley

I happened to come across this sweet little video while surfing YouTube the other day, and once I'd heard the first three or four lines of the song I knew I'd be featuring it here. I do loves me some puppets!

You can subscribe to her channel here.
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