I just heard that the Vegas strip Casino Caucuses will proceed. A lawsuit from the teachers union (backing Clinton) claimed that the special "at-large" caucus sites gave the Culinary Workers union (which is backing Obama) unfair advantage. Tori, the pole dancer, will be jumping and swinging for joy.
I was at the Culinary Workers headquarters on Monday (for a CBS Sunday Morning piece to air this weekend). It was pretty interesting listening to supervisors brief canvassers on how to pitch voters door-to-door.
I also missed the premiere of American Idol on Tuesday. But the subject gives me an excuse to post a picture of myself with my favorite contestant ever:
Look, everyone! It's me and Elliott Yamin. (Or is it "It's I and Elliott Yamin!"?) The fifth-season third-place finisher captured all our hearts with his Stevie Wonder suavity and dedication to his mother. A type-1 diabetic, 90% deaf in his right ear, and an admittedly lousy dancer, Elliott defied the odds to become a fan favorite. (When I lectured at Richmond, Virginia's Weinstein JCC two years ago -- it was Purim so I made my own hamantashen to give out -- I was hardly surprised by the reverence with which they spoke about their newest hometown hero.)
I had feared that getting his famously crooked teeth straightened might affect his singing voice adversely. The most minute changes can throw off the delicate balance of intangibles that add up to star quality. Were Elliott's teeth the equivalent of Streisand's nose? The imperfection at the heart of perfection?
I'm happy to report not. His voice still sounds great - and his new teeth are terrific, even if they're slightly oversized. Plus he's a really nice guy.
***
UPDATE: During the taping of Wait Wait, I had a splitting question. When I asked the live audience if anyone had a pain killer, two lovely women bounded up to the stage. One gave me two Aleves (my favorite); the other unzipped her plastic pill carrier and out spilled several brown pills, all different shapes. What were they?!
ALSO: Is anyone from Detroit, Milwaukee or Chicago reading? I think I might eat my first Paczki this year! Have you eaten one? What can I expect?
Reader Comments ( Page 4 of 5)
46. Paczi basically jelly doughnuts - very good. I recommend apple.
Dale Bugos at 9:43AM on Jan 20th 2008
47. Pedantic is incorrect. The sentence should read "It is Elliott and I" or "It is I and Elliott." "I" is the subjective case of the singular first person pronoun. "Me" would be used here only if it were in the objective case (e.g., It is a picture of Elliott and me--object of the proposition "of.")
joan at 10:45AM on Jan 20th 2008
48. If made property paczki are terrific. I'm from Pittsburgh and our ethnic communities have the greatest food. Paczki, jelly- or cream-filled donuts are a lenten tradition that have become popular year-'round. You'll love them. I hope they have your favorite filling.
MJL at 4:25PM on Jan 20th 2008
49. JG... I live 15 minutes from New London, CT, & you are right about the food @ our local festivals. If you've never been to the Blessing of The Fleet in Stonington, (15 minutes in the other direction, for me), it's a good one to hit for authentic Portugese fare. Taste of Mystic is good too, but more restaurant food than anything else.
Mo... FIRSTLY, let me swoon for a moment over you saying my name *3 TIMES* during your 'Bluff' this week. I was sure it would happen *someday*. It was better than Miss Alice on Romper Room (she NEVER said my name - probably because it has such poledancer potential)... I am REALLY hoping you will be here in CT in April when Wait is in Hartford. I pledged me up some jing to my local station, & was only able to score a ticket for the theater next to the Bushnell, where they will be simulcasting. All the tickets for the main hall were sucked up w/in 2 days. I am looking forward to it anyway, though.
Regarding the brown pills... Hmmm... If they were different sizes, but little round balls, & she gave you more than 2, they may have been some of those homeopathic voodoo rabbit turds that you have to take 300 of, 42 times a day, & then MAYBE the placebo effect will take over. Did she tell you to dissolve them under your tongue?
Sherry
S.L. at 1:02PM on Jan 20th 2008
50. Mo,
A few thoughts on your blog from a nice, happily-divorced Jewish oral surgeon from NY (who did his residency in Chicago, by the way). Firstly, changing the teeth NEVER changes the voice, so I, for one, am especially glad that Elliot Yamin lost the large-canine Dracula look and opted for a large-all-teeth doofy look, as he looks better doofy than bloodthirsty. And he is a TERRIFIC all around guy as well as singer, so I'm so glad for his popularity, especially among really nice, non - anti-Semitic goyim like yourself. As to paczki, I actually think that was a dish made by our ancestors (Elliot's and mine, that is) from the blood of Polish Christian children around Passover time....wait....no, that was maczki, or matzos in the peasants' vernacular. Oh wait, I remember now - Paczki is actually a bacterium that causes a rare lung disease - so I don't think you should be eating any.....By the way, I also heard about your Purim - time Hamantaschen. I actually think that was such an agonizing culinary experience for the nice formerly-non-anti-Semitic goyische neighbors with whom the Jews shared them, that they turned, and voted en masse, against Mr. Yamin, thereby bringing him down to the ignoble position of third place behind gorgeous Kathryn and wholly forgettable gray-haired guy. So it was your fault after all. Apologies to Elliot are in order, sir.....
Norm
Norm at 1:40PM on Jan 20th 2008
51. Mo,
One more thought....the brown multi-shaped tablets offerred to you were most likely generic Motrins, as most generic Ibuprofen tablets are brown, and come in various shapes. Or, they may have been the notorious "Brownies", a form of crystal meth very popular among middle-aged women in Chicago. It's good you didn't try them....
Norm
Norm at 1:47PM on Jan 20th 2008
52. Hey, eat the paczki ... enjoy the paczki... it will keep you from getting sick... full of calories... full of flavor
Mike the Polak at 2:47PM on Jan 20th 2008
53. You've never had a Paczki? I know I've seen them at Shaw's and Stop-N-Shop; we have them here in Providence, too...Oh yeah, you went to Harvard. Don't suppose Whole Foods or Veggie Planet had them. They are a pastry, like a cross between a Boston Cream Donut and a doughboy. Oh, Harvard. Never mind...
Chris at 3:37PM on Jan 20th 2008
54. Hi Mo,
I listen to Wait Wait every weekend. I enjoy to hear your comments, you make wonderful observations, very funny and true.
It is definitely "Elliot and I", put the other person first is proper grammer.
Cynthia at 11:22AM on Jan 21st 2008
55. Paczki !!!!!!!!!!! OMG! They are the best! Just can't eat more than one or anything else in the same day and not gain a love handle or two. Never saw a calorie added but the rumors say differant. ENJOY!
bumpman at 7:08PM on Jan 20th 2008
56. Detroiter here.........nothing like a Paczki!
A whole day devoted to them here. Headline news worthy!
bumpman at 7:08PM on Jan 20th 2008
57. Wow. Thanks, everyone, for your tips and support on my first foray into paczki. I'll be reporting on this SOON.
Mo Rocca at 7:37PM on Jan 20th 2008
58. paczkis are wonderful, and now i live in indianapolis where they only have faux paczkis, so consider yourself lucky.
p. ricketts at 10:21PM on Jan 20th 2008
59. p.s. everyone is right about the tom cruise video! it is pretty scary.
p. ricketts at 10:22PM on Jan 20th 2008
60. re: paczki
I'm originally from Detroit and now live in Chicago. Definitely try paczki! (and if you don't know how to pronounce them, it's "punch-key") My favorite is raspberry but they are available in all kinds of flavors; according to my Polish grandmother, the most traditional is prune, but that's not my style. Try them all and report back as to what you like best!
~Shannon
Shannon at 4:06PM on Jan 21st 2008