Many citizens and representatives of Denver do not want to be known as a Western town to DNC visitors. They're a little miffed at The New York Times Travel section article.

According to Bill Husted, with The Denver Post:

I just returned from the East Coast, and the liberal elite there think we have manure on our shoes. I have seldom, if ever, run into a more chauvinistic group of snobs. And I grew up in NYC.

Welcome to Denver?

Colorado Democratic Representative Diana DeGette suggested a western themed welcoming party for delegates and news media. Apparently organizers and sponsors did not take kindly to the suggestion. Denver Mayor Hickenlooper wants to instead promote the "New West", e.g. the booming energy industry and mass transportation in metro Denver.

Therefore, the Democratic National Convention of 2008 will be held at the Elitch Gardens Theme Park. That's a heckuva way to show your "vibrant cultural scene".

THE PINK PALACE MUSEUM DIVES INTO LOST WORLD OF MARINE REPTILES WITH ‘SEA MONSTERS: A PREHISTORIC ADVENTURE’. Visit the Pink Palace Museum page on Art Museum Touring.com (Link...).

National Geographic’s new giant-screen film “Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure,” brings to life the extraordinary marine reptiles of the dinosaur age on the IMAX screen. From the giraffe-necked Styxosaurus and 20-foot “bulldog” fish Xiphactinus to the T-Rex of the ocean - the 40-foot super-predator Tylosaurus - these wondrous beasts defy imagination.

“This is the first giant-screen film about what lived in the water during the dinosaur age,” said producer Lisa Truitt, president of National Geographic Giant Screen Films and Special Projects. “It is perfect subject matter for such an immersive format, one that allows these giants to literally swim off the screen and directly into the audience.”

Support your local galleries and museums! They are economic engines for your community.

Sherrie

And Campfield wasn't invited to "Rock it like a Porn Star," even though it wasn't an invitation, because that would be, like, illegal or something.

After dropping out of high school in the 9th grade, Gretchen Wilson (at 34 years old) passed her GED exam in April.

I'm not sure what she means by this statement:

Wilson told The Tennessean that her 7-year-old daughter was the big reason to finally finish, saying, "I certainly don't want her to think you can be this successful without an education."

I'm pretty sure she already proved you can be very successful without an education.

NashvillePost.com hires Volunteer Voters veteran:

Adam "A.C." Kleinheider, who until recently ran the respected VolunteerVoters.com site for WKRN-TV News 2, will on Monday join NashvillePost.com to augment the site’s breaking news coverage with a political blog.

That didn't take long. Does print media "get" online/electronic journalism and blogging better than broadcast media? Seems ironic.

The battle for state (and national) supremacy.

Check it out.

Despite earlier denials by promoters, the UK Daily Mirror says Led Zeppelin will headline this year's Bonnaroo Festival in Manchester TN, June 12-15.

A weekly sampling from some of Tennessee's best and brightest bloggers:

• 10,000 Monkeys and a Camera: The Myth of "Curing" Homosexuality, bonus: excellent Friday creature

• Andy Axel: The view is exhausting

• BlountViews: Mayor attacks local paper, again, also doesn't like Russian student/cultural exchange program

• Cup of Joe Powell: More on the AT&T statewide cable franchise bill

• Enclave: Tennessee should ban pre-payment penalties, plus Asterisks

• Fletch: Friday bird blogging, plus CNBC's Mr. Drysdale

• KnoxViews: Homeschooling for religious reasons. plus Anatomy of a toxic radioactive plume (at Facing South by way of KnoxViews)

• Lean Left: Financial incentives that discourage pharmaceutical research, plus: Good argument against FISA immunity

• Left Wing Cracker: Dems in Congress: Dance with who brung'ya

• Loose TN Canon: Why pop music sucks

• NewsComa: Savage political season

• Pesky Fly: Harry on hold, plus: Remembering Ike

• Progress Nashville: If the Tennessee Lottery ran elections, plus The failure of privatization

• Resonance: Shared sacrifice, plus House protects Christmas

• RoaneViews: Tax exemptions, good and bad

• Russ McBee: ORNL data theft and me plus, Theme of the day: contempt

• Sean Braisted: (at TennViews) Sumner Dem v. Diane Black

• Sharon Cobb: The only thing the Democrat Iowa caucus will predict is who won't be president, plus Obama's Nashville HQ opening

• Silence Isn't Golden: Bye bye Freddie

• Southern Beale: Dr. Frist's new spots, plus Talking Jesus Action Figure

• Tennessee Guerilla Women: New Jersey abolishes death penalty, plus Huckabee on the Canadian National Igloo

• TennViews: What reporters should be asking candidates (Pam Strickland), plus UT McNair Scholars program in jeopardy (an update)

• Whites Creek Journal: What rule of law?

• Women's Health News: Fetal mortality rates by race/ethnicity, plus Good grooming

A weekly sampling from some of Tennessee's best and brightest bloggers:

• 10,000 Monkeys and a Camera: Huckabee stumbles, Clinton needs better friends

• Andy Axel: Fall Heron, plus Good little lapblogs

• BlountViews: Hometown poll not kind to Lamar Alexander

• Cup of Joe Powell: Christmas TV season preview, plus Joe has the incredible Sidewalk Politics video that's been making the rounds

• Enclave: Tennessee in another Top 20

• Fletch: Two men and a truck

• KnoxViews: KnoxViews 2007 Year in Review, plus W settles an old score, and Holiday shopping humor

• Lean Left: Weak-minded Huckabee

• Left of the Dial: Geek-o-rama, plus Bad boss

• Left Wing Cracker: TN Supremes should decide open meetings law

• NewsComa: No solar eclipse in government

• Pesky Fly: Impeach Hillary

• Progress Nashville: The blog business model and TV Guide, plus Missing Bill (no, not that one)

• Resonance: Expert advice on not getting shot in random mall shootings, plus "Serious" Primaries

• RoaneViews: 20,000 tons of nuclear waste

• Russ McBee: Carbon dioxide reduction not as expensive as we're being told, plus Candidates: Speak to the working people

• Sean Braisted: (at TennViews) The obstructionist Senate

• Sharon Cobb: Is Pelosi hurting Clinton?, plus I know what you did in nursery school

• Silence Isn't Golden: Mitch McConnell's unfortunate remarks, plus Regent Law School needs a better recruiter (this is hilarious, keeping in mind that Regent is the law school supplying the Neocon cabal with legal foot soldiers who come up with crap like it's ok to lie to Congress)

• Southern Beale: TN GOP bunker mentality

• Tennessee Guerilla Women: Harriet Miers knew

• TennViews, by Persimmon: Corridor K

• Whites Creek Journal: CIA: American heroes

• Women's Health News: Make your holiday donations count for women

No kidding. Seriously? Gosh, WSM has only been around since about 1925, so this will be big news to WSM's septuagenarian listeners.

I especially like this part:

By all rights, Atlanta or Dallas should have become the center of country music, due to their early recording activity. But once Nashville had WSM and its birth child Grand Ole Opry running successfully, and after Nashville became the music publishing center with Acuff-Rose leading the way, the recording studios and record labels followed and Music Row was born out of that.

Atlanta? Dallas? Perhaps the author is a twenty-something newcomer and doesn't know the real history of country music, or where Roy Acuff hails from. Or Chet Atkins, the architect of the "Nashville Sound".

For a different take, see this feature article which ironically appeared just this week in Knoxville's Metro Pulse. And it doesn't even mention Cas Walker or Dolly Parton.

Knoxville has missed a couple of opportunities along the way. It could have been the country music capital of the world, but let it slip away to Nashville. It could also have been the Delta Airlines hub, but let that slip away to Atlanta. At least we still have Volunteer Football. And rural electrification courtesy of TVA in the 1930s.

Hilarity ensues.

• 10,000 Monkeys and a Camera: Hot November!

• Andy Axel: Fearless Heron

• BlountViews: Comet Holmes is easily visible in the North East sky after dark

• The Crone Speaks: Defeatist DINO’s: Schumer and Feinstein

• Cup of Joe Powell: Internet access tax banned, with loopholes

• Enclave: "Dropout factory" data out of date?

• Fletch: Wordless Wednesday

• KnoxViews (By Sven): Waterboarding: See no Evil, also, UT athlete graduation rates below national average

• Lean Left: The Press and Rudy and Bill

• Left of the Dial: Dolly with Porter in his final hours

• Left Wing Cracker: The Politics of Parsing

• Loose TN Canon: White House withholds documents re. Abramoff connection

• NewsComa: Tennessee open meetings law under attack

• Pesky Fly: The cosmic scale of stupid

• Progress Nashville: Analysis of the Draft Gore movement

• Resonance: Solar power in Germany

• RoaneViews: Monopolies holding back broadband in the U.S. and Roane County, bonus: Nationalism replacing patriotism?

• Russ McBee: Consumer safety sold down the river

• Sharon Cobb: Bredesen building underground entertainment center at the Governor's Mansion over neighborhood objections

• Silence Isn't Golden: How Obama gets his groove back, bonus, 49-22 is better than 49-0

• Southern Beale: Criminal past of Thompson's co-chair

• Tennessee Guerilla Women: Noun + Verb + 9/11 + Iran = Democrats’ Defeat?

• Whites Creek Journal: Spam for Bush produced by former Alexander and now Corker PR person

• Women's Health News: Update on Nashville rape victim treatment at area hospitals

On November 27, there will be an induction ceremony for the Musicians' Hall of Fame at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

Scheduled to appear, according to this website:

Creed [Bratton] is scheduled to be a presenter for The Wrecking Crew at the Induction Ceremony. He worked with the “Crew” in his Grass Roots days.

Creed Bratton is quite an accomplished musician, for those who didn't know. As mentioned in the blurb, he was a member of The Grass Roots (band who put out the now golden oldie "Let's Live for Today") for a time.

The induction of The Wrecking Crew alone would make this event worth attending, but you might also want to catch a glimpse of The Tennessee Two or The Funk Brothers or The Memphis Boys or The Nashville A-Team or The Blue Moon Boys. These artists have performed with The Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, George Harrison, Patsy Cline, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, George Jones, The Supremes, Frank Sinatra, and countless others.

Personally, I find this program appalling. Even though we know there are goons out there looking to have sex with kids they meet on the internet, the way the show presents it is very graphically suggestive. And what good does it do if this is shown night after night? The guys are already caught, and the methods they use are common knowledge. The only reason I can see for this program's existence is to let creepy people listen to all the suggestive exchanges between the lure and the idiots who want to meet them. Every time I happen upon this show, I can't help but think they are adding to the problem, not helping solve it. Isn't it possible that men who might never have thought about talking dirty to teens on the Internet might find this show tintillating and inspiring? This program and the stupid cops shows, and the prison shows, say something about our society, something I don't even want to think about.

Leah Kauffman sings (on behalf of all of us Jews)'Perfect Me Ann Coulter'

"Mom says she's whore/ Dad says she's starved for attention,"
"But she's got the hottest Adam's apple at the Republican Convention."

the chorus: "Perfect me/ Make me petty/ I want to be hateful like Ann Coulter/ Convert me/ To Christianity/ I want to be perfected," cut to a Coulterism, then: "Like Ann Coulter."