Le Big-Mac

Cracked ran an article on the 9 most typecast actors of all time, including the imitable Willie Shatner and the "gravel-voice intimidating asshole" Alec Baldwin.

Who would you add to that list? Joan Fontaine, Doris Day...

The Best Part-time Job Ever: DWTS

Some idiot "stars" (yeah, they're all sorta idiots, but this is even more dumb than usual so bear with me) complained about the pay scale for Dancing With The Stars. That's crazy! This gig has corporate life - not to mention McDonald's - beat in pretty much every dimension. Starting with the salary: For the first two weeks of season 3, the (otherwise unemployed) B/C/D-listers received $125k.

Yes, $125-zero-zero-zero. Just for hanging out with cute, very fit, long limbed people who teach them to dance. Not to edit excel spreadsheets or smelt iron or flip burgers. To dance. In cute costumes designed specifically to flatter their bodies. Plus these exhibitionist attention freaks get to do it all on TV for millions of viewers.

Each subsequent week they get "about another $20k" with the potential for a $50k bonus if there is a recap show, which is always. I'm no math genius, so it's fortunate that reality blurred added it up for us: $245k for eight weeks of work.

As an employee of the Knickerbocker Bank, I can tell you with complete confidence that there are MUCH worse ways to earn a buck. Someone needs to shut up and be grateful.

DWTS is still totally my favorite show. Mel B./Scary Spice is going to kick everyone's ass this season, especially if she dances with Dream Date Maks. Who I love. Plus, she might have her lawyer, the magnificently coiffed Gloria Allred in the audience. Now that's entertainment.

Hey State Dept: No Charge For This One

Bin Laden wants Whitney Houston
We don't want Whitney
Bin Laden is willing to kill Bobby Brown to get Whitney
We don't want Bobby Brown
We want Bin Laden

Why are we waiting to use Whitney and Bobby as bait? Whichever way it goes, I see a clear win-win scenario.

Enroute to Pacific Heights

Destination: Dinner party

Fare: $14

Conversation gold:

Him: Which short story writers do you like?

Me: George Saunders!

Him: Dennis Lehane!

Me: Peter Ho Davies!

Him: Dennis Johnson!

Me: Alice Munro!

Him: Guy de Maupassant!

Me: You win.

Wha??

Holy Crap! Did you know Ed Koch was possibly maybe gay? And that some gay activists attribute the lack of aggressive response to the AIDS crisis in 1980's New York to his fear of being outed? Because I didn't.

Sure, I remember he played himself on an episode of My Two Dads, but still.

Image courtesy of Gotham Gazette

Mater Dolorosa

As you may have picked up by now, here at wishbone clover we love the odd, the dark, the misunderstood. That's right: we're Catholic.

Rituals are a-ok by us, and we always check out cemeteries when we visit foreign cities. Cat even went to the Capuchin Crypt on a recent visit to Italy. Jealous.

Finalizing your designs for the sweet hereafter? Check out this neat collection of vintage memorial cards at Genealogy Today. Myself, I'm partial to the "Mrs. Herbert S. Case" look.

If You're Still Looking For Colleen's Birthday Gift

Only 40 days to go, and not all of us can give her that cool Flame Stitch journal. If you've read Colleen's jam endeavor, Delights and Prejudices, you know she makes a mean hot fruit. What better way to encourage such yummy-for-us behavior than with engraved recipe cards from Mrs. John L. Strong? For a mere $135, she (or another talented chef in your life) can immortalize the secret ingredients of 20 signature dishes.

You can even kill two birds with one stone and pick up something for my birthday while you're there (only a couple hundred shopping days to go.) I'm partial to the Da Vinci Box, the Buddhah cards, or even classic gift certificates. This stuff is so good, I'll even enjoy printouts of the website.