Susan Boyle: The Movie

Casting has begun. See link for top candidates.

John Hodgman addresses the POTUS

Inarguably the nerdiest speech a sitting president of the United States has ever been asked to perform the lead-in to.

John Hodgman headlines the Radio & TV Correspondents' Dinner*, where he contrasts the current "nerd" White House with the previous administration of "jocks", and also outs President Obama as a Star Trek fan.

His performance is a brilliantly deadpan nerdcore triumph, complete with references to typeface nerds, Conan comics, and the David Lynch movie adaptation of Dune.



YouTube link

*A room filled with nerds, all old enough to remember when that wasn't cool to be AT ALL. Meaning: too old to find Hodgman especially funny.

Obama writes girl a note for missing school

At one of Obama's health care town halls, in Green Bay, Wisconsin, a man asking a question mentions that his ten-year-old daughter Kennedy has skipped the last day of school to attend the event.

"Do you need me to write a note?" the president asks, then pulls out a pen to write:

"Please excuse Kennedy's absence. She's with me. Barack Obama."

He steps down off the stage to deliver the note before continuing the town hall meeting.

THIS is the Obama who as the junior Senator from Illinois killed (twice) on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me.

Link

Colbert: Why I Took This Crummy Job

Yes, he's in Iraq this week. This week, he's also the guest editor at Newsweek.

When our local market becomes news

Berkeley's a small town. When one of the grocery stores management gets shaken up, especially if that grocery store has its own foodie fan base, word gets around. I had heard that people were gathering at Monterey Market to say farewell to the couple that ran it. I didn't know the back story. Today, locavore blog The Ethicurean gave it to me: Fujimotos’ departure from Monterey Market a tough blow to local food chain

In other local news: the new Berkeley Bowl in West Berkeley has opened, and Black Oak Books in North Berkeley has closed its doors.

All of these stories, though hyperlocal, are getting more Twitter buzz than Shahrukh Khan in San Francisco. Apparently the intersection of those who Twitter in San Francisco and those who obsess over the Badishah of Bollywood have a very tiny insection. (Sigh)

Movie Star in Town. I'm Swooning.

It's not unusual to see a film crew in San Francisco. Rare, but not unusual. But you don't usually see a major movie star at the center of the set. Spotted at the 280 on-ramp at 6th street in the city:


Sharukh Khan.
He's in town with Kajol. Jimmy Shergill. and Director Karan Johar (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham)

Pics from a Market Street shoot at Asian Outlook.

The movie, My Name is Khan, has Khan playing a Muslim man arrested as a terrorist in post 9/11 America for is odd behavior-- turns out he has Aspergers syndrome.

Latest from Kasper Hauser

San Francisco's comedy powerhouse Kasper Hauser has two new books being published in June:

1. Sunday New York Times Wedding Parody
NPR coverage, with live reading and Robert Siegel cracking up

2. Obama's Blackberry. Twitterlike hilarity in short bursts. Book coming June 8, online preview here.