By Steve Rhodes
Not a lot of time this morning, so just a few quick items.
1. The Top 10 April Fools’ Day Fake News Items For 2010. My favorite might be Google Translate . . . For Animals.
2. Another list – compiled by Ad Age – includes Coldplay Perfume.
3. Sharon Osbourne on Rod Blagojevich: “He is absolutely crazy. He is insane. Completely self-obsessed, insane. He talks like a typical politician. Backtracks all the time.”
And did I mention insane?
4. The Tribune has lost mostly stellar education reporter Stephanie Banchero to the Wall Street Journal, Alexander Russo reports.
5. From the Facebook feed of one of our favorite local commentators, whose work on the side when he’s not being a lawyer and musician is eons beyond most highly paid full-time columnists in town:
“Matt Farmer and his guitar-picking buddy Steve Doyle will entertain the masses with three action-packed sets of barroom favorites this evening at Finley Dunne’s Tavern, 3458 N. Lincoln Avenue. 9:00 pm-midnight. No cover. Stop by and say hello.”
6. This week’s Reader cover story:
“The Chicago Public Schools are broke. Teachers have been asked to share the pain. Coaches have been asked to work for free. Bigger class sizes have been threatened. So why are CEO Ron Huberman and other top bureaucrats taking raises?”
7. From the Facebook feed of one of my other favorite local amateur commentators, who also happens to be a musician:
“John Kuczaj’s examples of phoning it in #2: Richard Roeper’s columns are reading like the blog of a severe head trauma victim. Today’s insights: Let gay people go to proms (story from 3 weeks ago), Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald is a great song, He watched a bit of American Idol on Tuesday, All of his minute thoughts while flying to LA.” http://www.suntimes.com
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Also from Kuczaj:
“The Cubs have announced that later this season they will honor Ron Santo with a bronze statue. Going for a realistic portrayal, it will be solid bronze except in the cranium, which will be filled with an inert liquid. Also, the statue will be carried by a statue of Pat Hughes.”
8. Speaking of Roeper, our man on the rail Thomas Chambers digs into RR’s latest book excerpt:
“Yes, I did read the Roeper excerpt, and you wish Jason Robards was in the newsroom to tell the guy ‘Come back when you’ve got something.’ I understand the automatic hype of the S-T’s featured columnist brands, but as Albert Brooks protested in Real Life, he’s shallow.”
And according to Chambers, he blows his gambling cred pretty early in the excerpt.
9. Our very own George Ofman downs a rum and OJ with a Nyquil chaser and comes up with some Cubs and White Sox predictions – and a whole lot more. In Dis and Dat, Dem and Dose.
10. Jakob Dylan joins the Bloodshot fray; you can see him at the Park West later this month with Neko Case and Kelly Hogan. Our very own Matt Harness has this and the rest of the Bloodshot show schedule for April, complete with sample video.
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The Beachwood Tip Line: Like one headlight.
Posted on April 2, 2010