Eric McCormack and Tom Cavanagh star in Trust Me, TNT’s contemporary drama series about a cutting edge–and slightly crazed–Chicago advertising agency.  McCormack, playing art director Mason McGuire, is a family man and a nice guy with a wife and two kids.  Cavanagh is Conner, a brilliant copywriter whose impulsivity and unpredictability at times causes difficulties.  Their close working relationship and friendship is put to the test when McCormack gets a promotion, taking over from their boss after his untimely–and somewhat comical–death.  Supporting cast members include Monica Potter who previously starred in Boston Legal, Griffin Dunne from Law & Order and Sarah Clarke of 24.  Red joined in on a conference call with McCormack and Cavanaugh about the show which premieres Monday, January 26 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

I loved the first two episodes.  They’re great. And one of the things that struck me is how real the characters and the advertising agency seem.  I have friends who work for advertising agencies and it’s just like totally crazy.  Did you hang around agencies to get the feel for what it’s like or was it totally based on the writer’s experiences?

Tom Cavanagh:  The advantage we have is in the big budget world of television, advertising and acting go hand in hand.  It’s cross pollinating; you see a lot of it. The second advantage we have is that the guys who are writing this show are not Hollywood screenwriters.  Hunt Baldwin and John Coveny were big media moguls in the world of advertising in Chicago.  And so what we get from them is legitimacy and authenticity.  Everything from how meetings go, where you would stand to what you call each other and how it plays out in terms of the double talk and innuendo–those guys navigate us through that kind of stuff.  These guys are recreating the world exactly as they lived it.  And they lived it at the highest level.

Eric McCormack:  When the show got picked up they called their friend Wit Freeze who was an art director they both worked with and made him a producer.

Tom Cavanagh:  An award-winning art director.

Eric McCormack:  So not only do we have two copywriters bringing their expertise, but whenever I have a scene where I think I should be doing something art director like, so that the audience understands Mason’s job, Wit comes in and he can explain how we work. And so it feels like we have all the expertise we need right there, which is great.

That’s terrific.  What’s your feeling: is show biz is as crazy as the ad biz or is ad business crazier than show biz?

Eric McCormack:  I think they’re both cutthroat in their own way. The interesting thing about advertising is that even within an advertising agency there is tremendous competition and cutthroat. You could be picked apart by vultures across the hall at any moment.  There’s sabotage and thievery. So if people say why do I want to watch a show about advertising, I explain to them that its really about how men work together, steal from each other, and eek out a living.  It doesn’t matter that it’s advertising, it’s real world.

Former Shakespearean actor Eric McCormack received five Golden Globe nominations and an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy series for his role as Will Truman in the long running series Will & Grace.  He also starred as Colonel Clay Mosby on Lonesome Dove: The Outlaws Years. Cavanagh starred in the TV series Ed and is also the host of Inside the Vault, a series where he takes viewers inside the Smithsonian.  Besides that, he acts in two other TV series–Scrubs and Eli Stone.  Cavanagh won a Daytime Emmy nomination for his work in Bang Bang, You’re Dead for Showtime.

Has your involvement in the show kind of made you overnight experts in what makes a good ad campaign?  For example, do you find yourself watching a commercial or looking at a print ad and saying, “Hey nice tag,” or studying it in a completely different way or changing your appreciation or your wariness about advertising?

Eric McCormack:  I . . .

Tom Cavanagh:  Good answer.

Eric McCormack:  Ironically, we are working such long hours now that I can’t remember the last time I actually sat down and could watch a television show with commercials in it.  But I would say that part of what attracted me to the show was that the last few years or so, I think we’ve all become aware that commercials just aren’t necessarily what they used to be.  They can’t be.  They can’t sell us the old products in the old ways. I think in a post Seinfeld world, advertising has become more ironic, smarter, it has to be.  And the ones that really soar, the ones that make it to the Super Bowl, that kind of thing are the ones that are truly smart, clever, young thinking.  I think that when we’re in the scenes where we’re trying to come up with pitches and tag lines, you do have an appreciation for what has made it and what won’t.

Are there commercials that you guys had done, back in your starting out days, for different products?  Can you share a little about those experiences?

Eric McCormack:  We both did Labatt’s ads, didn’t we?  In Canada?

Tom Cavanagh:  I had a Blue Light campaign in Canada.  I think we shot something close to 11 spots, which was a blast because all I had to do is get the tag line out which was simply, “If I wanted water I would ask for water,” mocking the Canadian beer alcohol content over the American beer alcohol content.  I got to improvise and I had a man’s best friend, a dog that I riffed with.  And as weird as it seems to say for a beer commercial, it was a great acting experience and handsome wages.

Eric McCormack:  I didn’t audition for a whole lot of commercials, but the one campaign I got was for a product called Labatt’s Dry, which died as a product as quickly as the spots did.  But I did five spots with a girl and in every commercial I was trying to hit on her and in every commercial we were different characters.  It was just a blast.  But auditioning for commercials is one of the most grueling, hideous things ever because it is so much about how you look and it’s cut throat.  I remember auditioning for a long distance company and there were three actors.  We were told you’re three buddies and you’re all trying to talk on the phone and we worked out some stuff we were going to do, and as soon as we got inside one of the actors just grabbed the phone and cut off the audition and got the role.  That’s when I realized, hey, I’m not in the woods anymore.

TNT’s “Trust Me” premieres Monday, January 26th at 10 p.m. (ET/PT).

–Interview by Jane Ammeson, Red Editorial Staff.

–Photo credit: Art Streiber

–The information presented and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of Handmark, Pocket Express and/or its partners.

For one final time this year we are reminded of a tragedy that seems to have shaken the world of hockey to its foundation.

Russian investigation officials have released information that former New York Rangers draft pick, Alexei Cherapanov, had been taking performance enhancing drugs for the months leading up to his death.

I always had a bit of a problem with many of the elements surrounding the tragedy.

First: The official reason given for Cherapanov’s cause of death is myocarditis.  Myocarditis is basically an inflammation of the heart muscle that can be picked up via ECG (Electro-Cardiogram) and blood tests.  WHY WASN’T THIS PATHOLOGY DISCOVERED DURING HIS ROOKIE PHYSICAL WITH THE NY RANGERS?  When I decided to ask this question to the Rangers Director of Public Relations, Brendon MacIntyre, I was told that neither front office nor medical personnel would comment on any of the events surrounding Cherapanov or his death.

Second:  Why would a kid with a faulty heart, who was already drafted in the NHL, choose to take performance-enhancing drugs? While he was a human being, not immune to the temptations of fame and fortune, Cherapanov should have known that he had a faulty heart and that ingesting drugs would make matters far worse.

Third:  Why is this information only being released now and why is it partial?  It has been a few months since the Cherapanov tragedy and I truly understand that for family and friends of Cherapanov, the wound is still open.  However, Russian officials are not sparing pain or protecting the dead by not being more specific with the drugs that Cherapanov used.  Also, it seems a little bit late to find any type of drug abuse (two months after the fact).

So, where does this leave us?  Cherapanov is still dead.  Also, you may even be asking yourselves what does this have to do with anything? Well, I have a theory…

It’s a bit of a chicken and the egg argument. I don’t think that the heart condition was really the first reason for Cherapanov’s death.  I do actually believe it had much more to do with performance enhancing drugs.  A heart problem should have been easily detected during the Rangers’ rookie physical, anabolic steroids or other drugs . . . not so much.  In fact, it would explain a lot of the sketchy details surrounding the 19 year-old’s death.

The truth is that many performance-enhancing drugs can have quite severe effects on the human heart.  Also, hockey is not immune to its athletes taking some of these drug cocktails to get to the top (though Gary Bettman would have you believe otherwise).

Maybe its time for everyone to take a much closer look into this matter.

–Ryan Matwiy, RED Editorial Staff.

The battle to keep food fresh has spawned many modern culinary traditions and recipes, from methods of preserving food to stretching out your food to feed more. Boiling it down, many food trends stem from necessity and meager beginnings.

Centuries ago, our forefathers couldn’t run to the local Kroger to pick up fresh meat and cheese for a dinner party. Perishable items were wrapped in paper, cloth or stored in damp springhouses and consumed as quickly as they could be before the inevitable decaying process rendered food inedible.

Just think . . . you’re an 18th century cow herder eking out your existence in the wintry Swiss Alps in a remote village and your summer bounty of cheese has gone tough and chewy. Your staled bread could crack your very last tooth, but you have a scant of wine left in your bottle.

What’s a cold, hungry cow farmer to do? Melt all three components together, naturally, and a fresh new concept is born; the fondue.

These fondue pioneers learned that their chewy cheese was mellowed and smoothed out with the addition of local wine and then served over a hot fire in an earthenware pot called a “caquelon”.

Soon after, Swiss aristocracy started upgrading to their own version adding quality artisan cheeses and fresh bread. But as the Swiss fondue grew in popularity, other countries had evolved this way of communal eating.

French grape pickers preferred beef cooked fondue style. Their long picking hours caused packed foods to go rancid, so they would set up campfires in the vineyard to cook their beef fondue on breaks.

Dessert fondue bloomed in the 1970’s. The communal eating theme went over huge with the 70’s crowd and chocolate was gently melted for dipping fruit or cake.

Today, healthier versions of fondue have sprung up using broth instead of oil and vegetables and seafood instead of beef cubes.

As most of the country has been blanketed with snow, ice and tortured with freezing temperatures this miserable winter, you may be growing stale yourself as you are locked up in your house waiting for Spring’s arrival.  Stare winter down and invite some friends and family over to revive a historical tradition.

COOK’S NOTES:
There can never be enough fondue at one party so plan on serving one savory and one sweet fondue. Be brave and add several of the optional ingredients in these “Basic Fondue” recipes. Use this recipe as a jumping off point and create your own favorites.

BASIC SWISS FONDUE
–1 tablespoon butter
–1 shallot, sliced thinly (1/4 cup sweet onion can be used)
–2 garlic cloves, roasted
–1 teaspoon sugar
–1 1/2 cups dry white wine
–8 ounces grated Gruyere cheese (about 1 ½ cups)
–8 ounces grated Emmenthaler cheese (about 1 ½ cups)
–2 tablespoons all purpose flour
–Pinch of ground nutmeg
–1 baguette, cut into 1-inch cubes
Optional Add-ins:
-¼ cup sun-dried tomato, ¼ cup parmesan, 1 teaspoon rosemary
-¼ cup sautéed shitake mushrooms, 1 teaspoon dried thyme

Roast your garlic cloves in splash of olive oil wrapped in a foil packet. Roast at 350 degrees for about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

In a skillet, melt butter and add thinly sliced shallot and sauté till soft, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat and add smashed garlic. Add the sugar, salt and pepper. Continue to cook until the shallots are caramelized, about 15 minutes. Add wine to pan and stir.

Toss grated cheese with flour in a separate bowl. Pour wine mixture into a saucepan and add cheese; set over medium-low heat. Add ½ the cheese and flour mixture to the wine and shallot sauce.

Stir gently and add the rest of the rest of the cheese. Sprinkle in the nutmeg, salt and pepper. Add more wine if the mixture becomes too thick.  Transfer cheese mixture to fondue pot and keep warm.

At this point you can divide the fondue into different fondue pots and add the other ingredients. One pot can be sun-dried tomato and parmesan fondue while the other flavor can be mushroom-thyme.

BASIC CHOCOLATE FONDUE
–1 tablespoons sugar
–1 tablespoon brown sugar
–1 cup half and half
–8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
–1 tablespoon butter
–1 tablespoon red wine
–Pound cake, Angel Food cubes, Marshmallows, Pretzel sticks, Strawberries, Banana for dipping
Optional Add-ins:
-1/4 cup Chambord or Amaretto
-Sprinkle of cinnamon, nutmeg, teaspoon pure orange essence

Melt sugars, half and half, chocolate, and butter together in a microwavable bowl in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir and melt another minute and stir. Add the red wine and stir again. Add optional ingredients at this point. Pour into a heated fondue pot and keep warm.

–Shelly Connors, Red Editorial Staff.

Well, it’s not exactly the NFC playoff picture–we’ll get to that in a moment–but the Bill Cowher effect is just too big of a shadow to sidestep.

While Cowher was talking to the Jets about Eric Mangini’s job, the Broncos dropped Mike Shanahan like a sandbag after three straight losses to end the season out of the playoffs. Losing to the Chargers and giving up 50-plus points didn’t help, but Cowher’s sudden availability (guess that network thing just didn’t work out) was apparently overwhelming.

Cowher turned down the Lions job before Rod Marinelli was even fired, but that doesn’t mean the NFC is without merit. Forget the weakest link stuff. The Panthers and Giants look primed to beat any team that comes out of the AFC. Especially if that team is the Titans or Steelers (who wouldn’t be any tougher with Cowher).

You just don’t think, uh-oh, when your Giants have to face Tennessee in the Supe. Or quake if your Panthers are lining up against Pittsburgh without the same defense that beat Seattle and really should have never won except for some bad, I mean, bad, officiating in Super Bowl XX.

As it stands, the Giants should be most worried about Carolina, which, hey, I have been saying it for weeks inside your phone, are coached so expertly by John Fox (who was a genius NY Giants defensive coordinator and still respected/feared there by coaches, players and fans alike).

And Carolina should be most worried about . . . the Chargers? Well, yes, because there is no way the Giants will beat Carolina again, unless the same phantom wind prowls the Meadowlands to push John Kasay’s FG wide one more time. DeAngleo Williams, face it, is better than Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward combined.

Carolina will struggle with San Diego QB Philip Rivers if he rolls through the AFC side of the playoffs bracket.  The Panthers defense just hasn’t faced anybody with that sort of mojo, save maybe NFC Rookie of the Year Matt Ryan. Oh, right, Atlanta beat the Panthers late in the season.

Atlanta beats the Cardinals easily this weekend, by the way, and the Vikes win a thriller vs. the Eagles. Then form holds as the Giants beat Atlanta (in overtime!) and Carolina wipes out Philly. Then Carolina wins and hopes San Diego doesn’t get through. Any other AFC team gets through and John Fox gets the ring that everybody thinks they need Bill Cowher to get.

–Bob Condor, Red Editorial Staff.

With the holidays, college bowl games, NFL playoffs, head coach firings as prolific as Geico ad-campaigns, off-season MLB trades and the upcoming second season of everyone’s favorite soap–As The Favre Turns, it’s easy to overlook college hoops.

Especially in a season where the National Title winner seems a foregone conclusion.

But last night, in lieu of Monday Night Football, conference play kicked off with a top-ten Big East match-up (and possible Final Four teams) between No. 8 Georgetown at No. 2 Connecticut.

Head coach Jim Calhoun’s highly touted Huskies came out as flat as a bad American Idol contestant, letting a young Hoyas team jump out to a 18-3 lead on the wings of 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc. The Hoyas never looked back.

Georgetown led the game the entire way, despite UConn twice cutting the lead to three-points, handily defeating the heavily favored home team, 74-63.

But this will only be the first of several heavyweight title bouts in the Big East, as the conference holds seven spots in the ESPN/Coaches Top 25 poll.

Yes, the road to March through the Big East will be tough, as the Hoyas can attest to.

Next up for the Hoyas is a Saturday home game against No. 3 Pittsburg followed by a trip to No. 10 Notre Dame next Monday. If the Hoyas can survive their next two contests they can expect to see the rest of the conference in their rearview mirror, but if they lose the next two a 1-3 start in conference play will be about as good as a warm, flat can of PBR.

About.

That’s because conferences as stacked as the Big East this year can be a real disadvantage come selection committee time. The conference has a clear separation between two tiers. In the top tier you have Syracuse, Georgetown, UConn, Marquette, West Virginia, Pitt, Cincinnati, Louisville, Villanova and Notre Dame. In the bottom you have Seton Hall, Providence, St. John’s, DePaul, Rutgers and South Florida.

The conference schedule for the Big East consists of 18 games for each team. Taking down the bottom 6 is a necessity for the March resume of teams in the top ten, but they also must beat up on each other. An 8-10 record in conference play will be almost as worthless as my Social Security if some of those wins aren’t against the top teams. Even a .500 record in conference play may not mean much if the wins aren’t “quality” wins.

On the flip side, a team that can pull off a 10-8 or an 11-7 record in the conference can almost assuredly be guaranteed a high seed on their dance card.

But hey, the Big East can be grateful for this one fact: the selection committee isn’t the BCS. In fact, it’s more like Soylent Green–it’s made of people . . . People!!

–Aaron Whitebread, Red Editorial Staff.

It’s no secret that I’m a huge Brett Favre fan, but I hope this is the last time I mention his name until his Hall of Fame induction.

It’s over, Brett. Break out a fresh pair of Wranglers and adapt a new slogan: Real.  Comfortable.  Retirement.

Bret Favre has done everything a great quarterback needs to do in this league, including his mandatory “bonus round” with a new team trying to get blood from a stone.  Joe Montana did it with the Kansas City Chiefs, Namath did it with the Rams and Unitas did it with San Diego.  The formula is always the same.  One and done.

Let’s be honest.  For as good a quarterback as Brett Favre is, he didn’t exactly have a banner year.  He threw 22 interceptions in 16 games and is also partially responsible for the Jets throwing Mangini out of town.

What?  Oh, surely you’ve thought about that, yes?  I think we all saw Mangini’s spot in the unemployment line open up as soon as last Sunday’s game was over with, and when the axe fell yesterday I don’t think anyone was surprised.  Did Mangini deserve to lose his job?  Yeah, New York is tough room, but it wasn’t Mangini who threw 22 picks this season.

If Mangini were still coming back to coach the Jets next year, there is no way Favre would be on the roster.  Absolutely not.  He’s too risky and Mangini was too frustrated with him for that to happen.  They took a gamble on a gambler for one year and it didn’t pay out.  See?  One and done.  That’s how it works.

And if you look at where the Jets’ future could be headed, it’s hard to see Favre as a part of it.  Bill Cowher has already shut the door on coaching the Jets in 2009, and even if he wanted the job Favre would be out anyway.

Cowher is a good (slightly overrated) coach, but he’s too much of a control freak to ever allow a veteran QB like Favre to be part of his arsenal.  Favre is going to do what Favre wants to do.  You can’t control him.  You can only cross your fingers.

That’s not good enough for Cowher, and after the way New York dropped four out of their last five games by self-destructing in a Dallas-esque fashion, it won’t be good enough for Jets fans either.

It does, however, seem to be good enough for the owner and general manager.  In the same breath after firing Mangini, Both Woody Johnson and Mike Tannenbaum sounded excited to have Favre back for another year.  I guess they’re willing to go double or nothing on the gambler.

And there is only one reason why the Jets’ front office would be willing to risk it.  Well, it isn’t a reason.  It’s a number: 17.

17 is New York’s slot in the draft and the odds of a Matt Ryan clone showing up are pretty slim.  So from that standpoint, they want Favre back so they don’t have to worry about replacing a QB with a mediocre first round slot.

The Jets might have missed the playoffs but they did just well enough to tie their hands in the offseason.  Clearly they’re looking at a rebuilding phase with a new coach, and hanging on to Favre will do nothing but stymie that process.

If the Jets want to beat a dead horse with a legend next season that’s up to them, but the lessons of this year are obvious.  Brett Favre can’t save the Jets, but the future might.

Favre is not the future.

–Joey Alfino, Red Editorial Staff.

Times Square has nothing on Berlin when it comes to New Year’s Eve celebrations. At least that’s the way the Germans see it. And they might be right.

It’s fitting that Berlin’s New Year’s festivities center around the Brandenburg Gate. Emblem of the city since its completion in 1791, the gate became the symbol of Berlin’s division during the days of the Cold War, imprisoned as it was behind the Berlin Wall. When the Wall came down in 1989, thousands of free, ebullient Germans flooded the Brandenburg Gate in scenes that were broadcast around the world.

Berlin’s public parties still frequently congregate around this centuries-old symbol. But few involve as many as arrive on New Year’s Eve, known to Germans as Silvester in recognition of the Christian saint’s day. Upwards of 1 million people attend the free annual celebration–as many as fill New York’s Times Square–surrounding the Brandenburg Gate and filling the adjoining Tiergarten. This public park, Berlin’s largest, stretches along the city’s Strasse des 17. Juni, from the Brandenburg Gate to the Victory Column, made famous in July, 2008, as the backdrop for President-Elect Barack Obama’s speech in Berlin.

If Berlin’s stunning urban landscape doesn’t convince New Year’s revelers to celebrate in Germany, its entertainment might. Performance stages fill the Tiergarten with live bands and DJs to help party-goers dance in the New Year. Ferris wheels and other amusement park rides add to the good time, while laser and light shows pierce the dark sky overhead to the beat of the music. Food tents sell snacks from around the world. And visitors can wish one another a Gutes Neues Jahr alongside Germans with a glass of good German beer or mulled wine.

When midnight strikes, a sky full of fireworks marks the occasion, lighting up the Brandenburg Gate, the Victory Column, the Tiergarten and all its visitors in a kaleidoscope of color. But the party continues long after the fireworks finish, transforming Berlin into the world’s largest open-air discotheque for a few more hours, until the sun rises on a new year.

Of course, Dick Clark won’t be in Berlin. Nor will the giant dropping ball. They’ll be in Times Square. It’s a trade-off the Germans are willing to make.

For all the details on a German New Year’s celebration, visit http://www.silvester-in-berlin.de.

–Amy S. Eckert, Red Editorial Staff.

Broken record alert–the BCS is leaving something to be desired.

But it isn’t just the usual business this time, like the lack of a playoff or a fair way to determine the nation’s top two teams.

No, now the BCS is even denying us matchups that are compelling in any way.

Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati? Utah vs. Alabama?

These games wouldn’t make it on ESPN2 in September, so why are we are stuck with them during college football’s supposed biggest week?

Virginia Tech/Cincinnati is particularly “monumental.” It’s the No. 12 vs. No. 21 matchup everyone has been waiting for!

This year, Tech has had such signature victories as its 17-point win over Furman and two-touchdown triumph against Western Kentucky.

Nevermind that there are 10 teams ranked ahead of them with fewer losses that aren’t playing in a BCS bowl. The BCS exists for one reason–to give us want we want (not to make millions of dollars for the power conferences!)–and that is a four-loss ACC champion by default playing on New Year’s night.

And thankfully they are playing the tradition soaked Cincinnati Bearcats. Cincinnati sports an equally impressive resume of victories this season, romping over Akron by two points and crushing Hawaii by five.

It doesn’t matter that if Cincinnati had played in the Big 12 they probably would have finished seventh or eighth. They won the Big East, and that’s who people want to see play–conference champions and only conference champions. With a few exceptions, of course–we like to watch Ohio State no matter what kind of year they have.

But if there is one knock on this scintillating Orange Bowl matchup, it’s that Cincinnati and Virginia Tech don’t have a long history together. That’s okay, too. This is bowl season, and some new rivalries are bound to begin.

Thankfully, the Sugar Bowl provides us the historical context the Orange is missing. Its pairing of the fabled Alabama/Utah rivalry gives us the game everyone has really been waiting for–Urban Meyer’s former school playing against a team and coach that has played against Urban Meyer.

Will Utah get its revenge? Or will Nick Saban send his . . . err . . . bitter rivals packing? We’ll have to wait until Friday night to find out (this one was too big to play Thursday!).

But shockingly, some people aren’t pleased with these historic matchups and rivalries. Some would prefer that the teams that played best this season get to play in the year’s biggest games.

While admittedly a ludicrous idea, let’s indulge for just a second. Let’s say that instead of having Alabama play a Mountain West team, they played the nation’s no. 3 team that played in 2008’s toughest conference, Texas.

I know it would probably be boring. There would be all sorts of top tier defense and thrilling plays on offense from the nation’s top players. But still, it’s something to consider if no MWC or WAC team comes through next year.

One thing that should not be considered, though, is allowing more than three teams from one conference to play in the BCS games.

Can you imagine if this rule had been in effect this year? It would have meant that instead of Ohio State–our beautiful, precious Ohio State!–Texas Tech would have gotten to play in a BCS bowl.

They would have stunk the joint up with all their touchdowns and infinite watchableness.

So actually, on second thought, I was wrong. The BCS did get it right this year. These are the matchups I was born to watch. And I might eventually get around to it after I finish all the Tivo’d Whale Wars I haven’t seen yet.

What, you thought I’d watch New Year’s night? I’d rather pay-per-view The Dark Knight.

–Patrick Daugherty, Red Editorial Staff.

Just before Christmas Day, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich told a reporter that if what he’s being accused of is impeachable, then he’s “on the wrong planet” and “living in the wrong place.”

And so my suspicions are confirmed: Rod Blagojevich is clearly from Mars.

Honestly, I haven’t even watched any reality television in God knows how long–it can’t beat the news lately.

Despite Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn telling CBS’ Face the Nation that he believes Blagojevich will be impeached no later than Feb. 12, Blagojevich continues to maintain his innocence through a series of seemingly airtight excuses and making himself seem like the victim.

In the same interview before Christmas, Blagojevich stressed his innocence and vowed to fight the forces (stupid morality) against him. He even said, and this is a direct quote, “Look, if I’d have known people were listening, I probably wouldn’t have said some of the things you say in private conversations.”

Who is this guy?  He wouldn’t have said anything incriminating about selling a senate seat like an item at Sotheby’s if he knew people were listening?  That’s like Eliot Spitzer saying, “Well, if I knew there was an investigation I wouldn’t have slept with her.”

That might be good enough on Mars, but it won’t fly here in America, governor.

Not only does Lt. Governor Quinn believe Blagojevich will be impeached, but he also believes there are more than enough votes amongst Illinois’ lawmakers to leave the required two-thirds majority in the dust.

The Illinois House committee perusing the impeachment is meeting as I write this article, no doubt to discuss how to expedite this process so the tribal council can vote him off the island (See?  Who needs reality television?).

And rest assured they’ll find something. To be fair to Blagojevich, this does smell a little like a witch-hunt.  That’s not to say Blagojevich doesn’t deserve impeachment for his offense (if it’s true, blah blah blah), but it also sounds like Illinois has been itching to kick this guy to the curb for a while now.

Blagojevich’s approval ratings before the scandal were so low that they made President Bush’s numbers look good. Zero percent of Illinois residents rated him as an “excellent” governor in an October Rasmussen poll, and Blagojevich was even dubbed the “Least Popular Governor” in the nation, a pretty impressive accomplishment in a time when the Governor of Alaska’s future in-law was arrested after an undercover narcotics investigation.

Don’t worry, I’m sure Levi Johnston’s mother wouldn’t have been messing around with those drugs if she knew she was being investigated.

So huzzah to Gov. Blagojevich for giving us all a doozy of scandal to cap off 2008, and something to look forward to in 2009 as this thing is far from over.  I’m sure you’ve noticed this, but Gov. Blagojevich is only in the first stage of grief–denial.  There are still four more to go.

Next is anger, followed by bargaining.  Given Blagojevich’s colorful gift for expletives and his apparent love of wheeling and dealing, this should get good.

Who knows, this could even be bigger than American Idol.

–Joey Alfino, Red Editorial Staff.

Most Americans seem to save this festive time of year to tip back a glass of Champagne. Some splurge and indulge in a glass with their holiday dinner; others may take a sip at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve while some choose to toast a surprise holiday engagement of two betrothed lovebirds.

So why aren’t people taking more opportunity to enjoy drinking this dazzling beverage that is replete with history and traditions throughout the rest of the year?  Most aversion could be stemming from fear of champagne’s price, the lack of knowledge on how to pick champagne or possibly champagne’s snooty stigma.

When you think of the people who drink champagne on occasions other than the holidays or weddings, they probably aren’t the masses you see schlepping around with you at your local Costco.

You have those images of pearl-clad ladies lunching at bistros on the Upper East Side in Manhattan . . . rappers pouring $300 bottles of champagne on their video vixens in their steaming hot tubs . . . you know where this is going.

With knowledge comes power, so hopefully this article will give you the strength to extend your champagne drinking season. So push aside your fear of being a champagne novice; think of champagne as fermented grape juice propped up by a really good marketing campaign.

Here’s the 411 on bubbly just to get you started.

Toasting:
Toasting, or tapping of glasses, originated from the fear nobles had of being poisoned while drinking with their fellow dinner guests. Since champagne of that era was amber colored and had more sediment, it was easy to disguise poison.

For those lords who truly trusted each other, they chose to “clunk” their wooden goblets in faith and good health to their dinner guests. As wood goblets were replaced with glass and metal glasses, the “clunk” was replaced with the “clink” we recognize today while we toast each other.

Champagne Glasses:
There are two kinds of champagne glasses: the flute and the coupe glass. The coupe, according to one theory, is rumored to be shaped after Marie Antoinette’s bosom. In fact, there are many women in history who have vied to be the original mold from which the voluptuous coupe glass was cast from.

Today’s most popular champagne glass, the taller more slender flute, is shaped to preserve and concentrate the delicate aromas and bubbles of champagne.

Champagne vs. Sparkling Wine: This may be obvious to some, but if your “champagne” doesn’t originate from the Champagne district of France, it is considered a sparkling wine. In 1688, a blind Benedictine monk, Dom Pérignon, evolved the method of modern champagne making by clarifying the formerly amber colored libation to the crystal clear, bubbling sensation we enjoy today.

Before his loving touch, bubbles that appeared in wine making indicated poor wine making skills. Sparkling wine was produced in Italy and England almost a century before the French staked their claim, but then if that got out, champagne would loose some of its marketing fizz.

So now that you’ve had your primer, here are some recommendations for Bubbly 101:

Affordable “Must Have” Champagnes and Sparkling Wines

Freixenet Cordon Negro: A workhorse of a sparkling wine that features a thoroughbred taste in a sexy black bottle. From the rustic region of Catalunya, Spain, this sparkling wine is called a Cava. At first sip of this smooth brut, you’ll notice a medium bodied wine with just enough flirty fruit to soften the blow.

You’ll love the taste even more when you only have to spend about $10 a bottle. (If you need some snob factor to convince you to try Freixenet, it’s Martha Stewart’s favorite sparkler to serve at her catered weddings)

Canella Prosecco di Conegliano NV: The Italians have their own version of champagne called Prosecco. Traditionally sweeter, this sassy Prosecco doesn’t veer from Italian tradition. With its playful sherbet and citrus qualities, your nose will be tickled by the hearty bubbles that come from the unique Prosecco making process.

But don’t take this Prosecco too seriously . . . it’s the kind of sparkling wine that wants to roll its pants up and jump in rain puddles. (About $15 a bottle)

Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow label: This is the biggest splurge I can recommend that is still affordable but impressive. It slips past your palate with a perfect balance of elegance and power. It may have its nose in the air, but the affordable cost keeps it grounded at about $35 a bottle.

–Shelly Connors, Red Editorial Staff.