The Funny returns

I have subsisted on Ricky Gervais podcasts the past few months since Marc Maron got pushed off the Air America airwaves. Punching bag Karl Pilkington provides the dead-pan humour, imperviously stolid as Gervais claims that Karl's IQ hovers around 70:

According to Karl, a country which will remain unnamed actually used a monkey in their bobsleigh team. Due to flash photography during their run the monkey freaked out and caused a crash. The team didn't want the crash helmet removed citing medical reasons, but the obvious reason was that the ruse wasn't discovered and they would get away with using a monkey in place of a human. This story has gained much credence according to Karl as a week later a monkey was seen in the zoo wearing a neck brace.

Fortunately, Maron makes a return to LA radio station KTLK and streaming audio for those willing to stay up late this Tuesday. Wolcott enjoys Lawton Smalls, as do I, but Maron's Pilkington remains Jim Earl, who, like Karl, never laughs at the host's jokes.

As to right-wing radio in LA, the tide has finally receded. Ratings for unctuous shows like Spew Spewitt have dropped by half in the latest ratings. Moreover, the advertising has shown some subtle changes in their targetted audience. I actually became startled when I heard a commercial sponsored by Christian evangelicals calling for action against Global Warming when it played on the local Hewitt station. I presume this organization had something to do with it.

For too long, he said, it has been scientists, environmentalists and Democratic politicians sounding the alarm on global warming. Ball said he believed that he and his fellow evangelical messengers would be more credible to Christians.

"They're going to say, 'OK, this isn't a bunch of liberal claptrap cooked up by enviros to wreck the economy,'" he said.

Humorous indeed, but not dependable yuks. For that we need Maron and company. Hopefully, ace environmentalist Earl will continue his War on Brains series, effectively mocking and documenting BushCo's atrocities against knowledge.

Stay up sheeple.