I'll assume that my invite is in the mail. Oh, and I'd like to sit at Creed Bratton's table, if possible.
One of the nice things about working from home is the lack of a communal office refrigerator and the passive-aggressive post-it notes that come with it.
Jennifer Garner can recite the Red Sox's starting lineup ... sort of.
Last week my MinnPost colleague David Brauerreported that the Minneapolis Star Tribune planned to start charging for certain content online, with Vikings coverage as the guinea pig, and the wheels are now in motion. Access Vikings will cost $20 per year, which is reasonable enough for hardcore fans, although using poorly lit videos featuringPatrick Reusse and Jim Souhan as a selling point is iffy. I'm not going to subscribe, because I don't consume that much Vikings coverage, but many people will.
If the Star Tribune can get even 5,000 subscribers at $20 per pop, my guess is that the for-pay attempt will be considered a success. That would generate $100,000 in revenue, with most of it profit, which is perhaps enough to pay two reporters' salaries. Looking at the big picture, I'd gladly pay $20 per year if it meant that the Star Tribune could keep both LaVelle E. Neal III and Joe Christensen on the Twins beat, and lots of people probably feel similarly about the newspaper's other niches if the guinea pig survives.
Official Fantasy Girl of AG.com fourth runner-up Mila Kunislooked pretty much flawless walking the red carpet at the Emmys.
Ricky Gervais did not look flawless at the Emmys, but was hilarious:
My favorite part is Tom Hanks' reaction at the 80-second mark.
In what might be my favorite injury of the season, Mariners closer David Aardsmahurt his back while "scrunched up reading a book" on the team flight to Florida. No word yet on what he was reading, but it presumably wasn't this book.
Now that the hype has worn off, Kimbo Slice is trying to fight his way into the UFC on The Ultimate Fighter and next week's episode has him matched up against former IFL champion Roy Nelson. Slice is a heavy underdog and a loss to Nelson would probably end his 15 minutes of fame.
Most weeks Rider getting into trouble would be the least-shocking news, but this story has him beat:
Researchers found that women are overcome by a burning desire to share gossip as soon as they hear it. They will typically spill the beans to at least one other person in 47 hours and 15 minutes. Depending on who the gossip is about, their boyfriend, husband, best friend or mother are most likely to be the initial recipients of the information.
The study of 3,000 women aged between 18 and 65 also found that four out of ten admitted they were unable to keep a secret – no matter how personal or confidential the news was. It also found that alcohol usually gives us a helping hand to blurt out secrets, with more than half admitting a glass or two of wine could prompt them to dish the dirt.
I'm exceptionally good at keeping secrets, not because I'm a wonderful person or have superb morals, but because I'm incredibly lazy and often don't have the energy to gossip. And being obese enough that "a glass or two of wine" has zero effect helps too. So next time you have a secret, tell it to a fat guy.
Perhaps the best use of a telestrator in college football history.
Official Fantasy Girl of AG.com third runner-up Kate Beckinsale is looking great in something called Angeleno magazine, which makes me think that the world may be ready for OFGoAG.com magazine. I'll pitch the project next time I'm at the Beckett Media offices in Dallas and then insist "I'm serious" once they all stop laughing. Can't miss!
Friend of AG.com Chris Jaffewrote a nice article for The Hardball Times breaking down the greatest games in Metrodome history.
Whatever you think of the Metrodome it might beat watching games in "a spaceship that just landed."
Minnesota Public Radio is collecting Metrodome memories, so if you have a good one click here.
Finally, in honor of the Star Tribune dipping its toe into the for-pay pool this week's AG.com-approved music video is Solomon Burke and The Blind Boys Of Alabama singing "None Of Us Are Free":
