Here are two EXCELLENT Slate articles. I get annoyed at Slate when they write about politics (pinkos) or sports (fanboy weiners) , but I like their TV/Pop Culture stuff, particular the writer of the first article, Sam Anderson. He wrote a great encomium/obituary/explanation of Mitch Hedberg.

1. Anderson explains why Weird Al Yankovic matters. He better articulates a point I've been making for years: that Weird Al deserves a lot of street cred for sticking to his aesthetic. He has never gone over into that creepy Bob Saget Caricature where he has to dirtify himself in order to maintain success. The guy is kooky, creative, innocent, and a true original.

2. This article vents all my frustration with STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP. It's brilliantly written at points and hopeless at others. It fails miserably at emulating the SNL set comedy, and that's a key dynamic of the show: if the comedy isn't good, why are Matt and Danny (Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford) such industry geniuses, and why is the show-within-a-show enjoying renewed success? I love the scheming network politics and balance between industry and art, but there's just something wrong with that setup. Still, I find it very enjoyable, and hope that it lasts.

Enjoy!