A Tale of Two Donaghy's: 30 Rock and the NBA Scandal

We here at the Daily Snooze, though optimistic about the Colorado Rockies' chances in the upcoming World Series, are ready for the basketball season to begin so that we can stop talking about Manny being Manny. And what better way to prepare for the NBA tipoff than with this hilarious clip from NBC's "30 Rock." If you blink, you might not catch the reference here, but Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) has a cousin who throws NBA games... aka disgraced NBA referee, Tim Donaghy. Whoever wrote that line deserves a cut of Donaghy's "winnings."



Thanks to our friends at the sports blog, With Leather, for the heads up. (Okay, we're not friends. We've never actually met.)

Autumn Addict: A Few Fall Tube Favorites

There are a number of new shows that the Daily Snooze is watching religiously as a result of missing the boat when it came to AMC's apparently phenomenal late summer success, "Mad Men." Here's a list of three favorites, and why we like them.

1. "Chuck" (NBC, Mondays, 8/7c) - There's something about Zachary Levi's title-role portrayal of the Geek Squad wannabe, Chuck Bartowski, that calls to mind that likable nerd from "The Office" (John Krasinzki). As a Stanford drop-out whose college nemesis has sent him an email containing all of the CIA and NSA's secrets (and soon thereafter succumbs to the death from which most rogue agents succumb - murder), Chuck has become a hot commodity in the world of secrets and spies. Unfortunately for Chuck, the world of espionage isn't so much like the worlds he dominates in virtual reality on his X-Box 360. A boyfriend/girlfriend cover with the gorgeous CIA agent Sara (Yvonne Strzechowski) ensues, as does an unlikely series of caper-type thrills. But the real excitement in the show comes from Chuck's surly mentor and NSA operative, played by Adam Baldwin (no relation to those other Baldwins), who demonstrates sarcasm under fire and a hilarious mean streak. This is a show worth checking out if you like your crime dramas with a little fantasy and a whole lot of funny.

2. "Pushing Daisies" (ABC, Wednesdays, 8/7c) - Tim Burton fans unite. This half-spooky, half-charming, and wholly whimsical series about a pie maker named Ned, who has the ability to bring people back to life with the touch of his finger, and the ability to unintentionally kill another person if he does not re-touch the deceased he brought back to life within a 60-second span. The story revolves around his failure to re-touch his childhood sweetheart Charlotte, aka Chuck, when he discovers her in the local morgue. The colors and visual stimulation of "Pushing Daisies" might allow this sappy fairy-tale of a show to work even without much of script. As the Daily Snooze's big brother recently remarked, "This show tailors to anyone with an HD television set." Brother Matt is right, but, alas, the show has some bite, particularly in the character of Olive Snook (Kristin Chenosweth), who's wit and speedy dialog is hard to ignore, even if she is constantly showing off some serious cleavage.

3. "Life" (NBC, Wednesdays, 10/9c) - Okay, so "Life" isn't as good as any of the bastard children of the original "Law and Order" series, but it isn't supposed to be. The show follows Detective Charlie Crews (the absurdly talented Brit, Damien Lewis, of HBO's "Band of Brothers") as he resumes his position on the LAPD after 12 years served in prison for a gruesome murder he did not commit. Oh, and as part of his settlement (after the convenient post-DNA acquittal), Crews received something like $50 million bucks. The show doesn't dwell too much on his finances, but focuses, rather, on his desire to find the real killer from that case in which he was framed. Utilizing interludes of documentary footage regarding Crews' release from prison, we come to know various characters from his previous life, and they pop up from time to time in the present very effectively. And Crews' newly found Zen-like questioning of suspects provides a hint of humor, while his smokestack partner Dani Reese (Sarah Shahi) makes this an easy show to look at. Don't be confused, though. Shahi's character is the glue that keeps "Life"'s idiosyncrasies in line. It's a win-win situation, folks.

Forever Awesome: The Young @ Heart Chorus

When the Daily Snooze caught wind of these photos of David Byrne with a choir of singing senior citizens, we had to check them out. Turns out the Young at Heart Chorus has been at it since 1982, when a group of geezers in Northampton, Massachusetts started the club at an elderly housing project called the Walter Salvo House. Sure, none of the original members are still around, but that hasn't stopped repeated generations of old people from singing songs that are generally associated with different (and younger) generations all together. Today, the Daily Snooze salutes the Young at Heart Chorus, and we thank you for giving us hope that cigarette smokers, booze drinkers, and good old fashioned rock 'n' rollers can live long and fruitful lives. Check out their homepage here.

Burma Breakdown: Bush Was Right

President Bush received a lot of guff last week when he spoke out about the human rights violations taking place in Burma (aka Myanmar). Some pundits, like Jon Stewart, laughed at Bush's claim that American citizens were outraged at the events unfolding in the country that shares borders with India, China, Laos and Thailand. The Daily Snooze is a big fan of "The Daily Show," but Stewart overstepped his boundaries. Perhaps Bush overstepped his, as well, but for once, his ends justified his means.

The recent pro-democracy protests that had been building for weeks in the city of Rangoon were effectively shut down by the ruling government, and it remains unclear how much government-led violence it took to force citizens and scores of monks back into their homes and monasteries. One former Burmese government official, Hia Win, claims that over a thousand monks lost their lives.

A U.N. envoy is now attempting to meet with government officials, though few human rights officials expect any progress. It is news stories like these that make all of us here at the Daily Snooze feel a little bit horrible for celebrating the release of an album from some band in the UK when there are greater issues at hand. For information about organizations that are looking to instigate change in Burma, click here, here, here, and here.