Author Archives: Tom Garrett

Obama, DOMA, and Myopia

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Tom Garrett

The Department of Justice announced this week that it will no longer attempt to defend the Defense of Marriage Act from federal lawsuits, saying, in part [T]he President has concluded that given a number of factors, including a documented history … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Politics | Tagged Commentary, Conlaw, Constitutional Law, Cuccinelli, Department of Justice, DOMA, Eric Holder, Executive Branch, Flag-Burning, Gay Marriage, Gay Rights, Health Care, Homosexuality, Judicial Activism, Judicial Branch, Ken Cuccinelli, Obama, Obamacare, Politics, Separation of Powers, The Constitution, Virginia | 17 Comments

A Shameless Plea for Twitter Followship

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Tom Garrett

I’ve been extremely pleased with the growth of this very young website so far. I struggle to come up with any complaints whatsoever about the subject. Buuuuuuut . . . if you twist my arm, I have to say that … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Site Stuff | Tagged Humor, Internet, Mark Sanchez, Neil Hamburger, Shamelessness, Site Stuff, Social Media, Twitter | 4 Comments

Fish-related Puns Are Too Easy

Posted on February 19, 2011 by Tom Garrett

A controversial magic trick has been ruffling the feathers of our Chinese friends non-enemies this week. The trick, which appears to approximate a synchronized swimming routine, except with a half-dozen Chinese goldfish, is alleged by numerous animal rights groups to rely … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, General Culture and News, Videos | Tagged Animal Rights, Animals, Censorship, China, Fish, Fu Yandong, Goldfish, Illusions, Magic, Magnetism, Magnets, PETA, The Final Countdown | 5 Comments

SitCombat: 2/17/11

Posted on February 18, 2011 by Tom Garrett

Can the long-awaited cinematic tale of Michael Scarn top defending champ 30 Rock, or will Sterling Archer’s own action / intrigue (and Burt Reynolds references) allow upstart Archer to take the crown from venerable and little-watched NBC fare? Here’s how … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Reviews, Television | Tagged 30 Rock, Alec Baldwin, Archer, FX, Michael Scarn, Michael Scott, NBC, SitCombat, Sitcoms, Steve Carell, Television, The Office, Threat Level Midnight, Tina Fey, TV | Leave a comment

This Would Have Made AP English Even More Fun

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Tom Garrett

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby numbers among the many books assigned to me during my early academic career. As was the case with most of that group, I ended up merely skimming enough to do well on the test or … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Gaming, Links, Literature | Tagged 8-Bit, AP English, Engrish, Famicom, Fitzgerald, Gaming, Gatsby, Internet, Japan, Literature, NES, Nintendo, The Great Gatsby, Video Games | Leave a comment

Justin Bieber: A Narrative Lyrical Analysis

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Tom Garrett

On the heels of one of the greatest injustices in recorded human history, I now turn my attention to the incomparable Justin Drew Bieber. I referred to Lady Gaga as a “near-prodigy” last week. There’s no qualifier necessary for Bieber. … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Music | Tagged Baby, Bieber, Commentary, Grammys, Humor, Ludacris, Lyrics, Music, Pop | 7 Comments

SitCombat

Posted on February 11, 2011 by Tom Garrett

I only watch about eight television shows on anything resembling a regular basis. I realized recently that three of those shows are sitcoms airing on Thursday nights. I usually watch all three and informally think to myself, “Show X won … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Reviews, Television | Tagged 30 Rock, Alec Baldwin, Archer, Comedy, FX, Jane Krakowski, NBC, Reviews, Sitcoms, Steve Carell, Television, The Office, Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan | Leave a comment

One Space, Two Space, Red Face, Typeface

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Tom Garrett

I’m normally an even-tempered person. If I fly off the handle, I assure you that it’s for comedic effect only. In reality, I’m the guy who doesn’t get emotional about politics or religion or the other fundamental building blocks of … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, General Culture and News | Tagged Blogging, Chicago Manual of Style, Debate, Farhad Manjoo, Grammar, Manjoo, Mountains out of Molehills, Nerds, Slate, Spacing, Syntax, Writing | 13 Comments

Lady Gaga’s “Telephone”: A Narrative Lyrical Analysis

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Tom Garrett

Lady Gaga.* Two words synonymous with “Understated songwriting.” Tackling the subtleties of the work of a performer with a proverbial finger on the very pulse of popular culture can modestly be described as daunting. Yet, that’s what we’ve attempted. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Music | Tagged Beyonce, Gaga, Humor, Lady Gaga, Lyrics, Music, Pop, Telephone, Tisch School of the Arts | 6 Comments

Random Jaw-Dropping 80’s Moment

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Tom Garrett

Saturday Night Live circa 1989: The most amazing part of the show was actually the monologue, in which Gibson said the following: “As I stand here, I realize that, in a live … Continue reading →