New Year's at my place: the French 75

A shot of gin, half-shot of lemon juice, half-shot of simple syrup, all topped off with champagne. It's my favorite and I'll be serving them up all evening so be sure to drop by. Who doesn't love a little "hydro-pneumatic recoil?"

What was Norm Clarke thinking?

Jared Fogel gets a mention in my favorite gossip column and suddenly I yearn for the days when we were all talking about Britney Spears' crotch. Things can't be that slow in Las Vegas, can they?

Cinco de me

Oh I know. If I were cool, I'd hate getting tagged. I'd find a way to gently mock the entire process and only half-heartedly play along. But there's something fun about summarizing your likes/dislikes, dreams, hopes and interests. When you think about it, it's a privilege typically reserved only for Playboy centerfolds and the subjects of American Express print ads. So I'm excited! Here's my list:

- I absolutely excel at euchre.

- I'll watch anything if the opening credits include Edith Head.

- You know how when Micky Ward used to fight, he had that tic where he'd always adjust his trunks after each round? Yeah? Well: that always did a little something for me.

- I can't stop buying dishes or kitchen gadgets.

- Tammy Wynette, Sammy Davis Jr, Cecilia Bartoli, Buddy Rich, LeRoi Brothers, Victor Borge, Don Rickles and Ella Fitzgerald -- of all the people I've seen perform live, these are my favorites.

There. Wow. I really feel like this exercise has brought us closer together, don't you? Hmm? Where'd you go? Great. Who's gonna tell Lori, HighJive -- yes! -- and Amy that I've chosen them?

A very automotive Christmas

Right this very minute I'm listening to one of my Firestone Christmas albums. You know it -- 1967: Roberta Peters and Jack Jones? With the Firestone Orchestra, Irwin Kostal conductor? C'mon! It's the one audio-directed by Phil Ramone. Yeah, that one. It's great, isn't it?

I'm worried for all my little Battlestar Galactica friends

Wasn't it brutal enough to lose both Kat and Ellen? Ronald D. Moore says no -- but don't click until you've seen tonight's finale. Really!

Think how I'd feel if I had ever actually worked on a pharma account

It's perfectly understandable that physicians would detest pharma advertising. After all, wouldn't that media money be better spent providing them with cruises, topless dancers or "research" funds? Besides, it must be hard to concentrate what with patients always talking, always asking their pesky little questions.

But when regular people complain -- I don't know. Is that just the common tendency to suspect any big industry? Or is it patronizing and a little cold-hearted?

I only ask because this article seems to give voice to the very people who are almost never heard from in this debate: the sufferers -- and you don't have to be at death's door to truly, noticeably suffer. If you have a good health plan, if you have a trusted doctor, drug ads may be lost on you. But for others, a TV spot may be the only way they learn of a life-changing drug -- and this shouldn't make them less deserving of treatment.

Don't let his glad expression give you the wrong impression

Now I regret never giving much thought to the Pillsbury Doughboy: "We can only imagine him alone at night, his day’s work done, trying to shape dough into the form of a companion, and breathing into its mouth. Failure; every time, failure. He wept small clear perfect tears, and they tasted like beer."

Does Holly M. Sanders understand her own writing?

No one has commented on the Post's Omnicom article from yesterday and I can only assume that's because shareholder lawsuits lack a certain something -- sex, let's say -- to hold anyone's interest.

Oh, Chris Byron: where are you?

Drink up

Oh, I see you already have.

Giving up on the human drama of athletic competition

It takes true verve to work this many mixed metaphors and labored references into just two sentences: "In a knockout punch that would do Jake La Motta proud, the Tribeca Film Festival just gave rival fests another reason to rage. The sponsorship champ has teamed up with ESPN to create the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival, with a lineup of indie sports films on marketing steroids."

But if AdFreak is geniunely excited -- and not merely doing a send-up of really bad PR writing -- I can't share their joy. I liked ESPN better back when they aired actual sports, not intellectually dishonest specials, MTV-wannabe shows or new festival films meant to make everyone forget those earlier efforts.

I once went to a David Maister seminar and I want those 8 hours back

David Maister makes a case for firing people via email, no doubt leading to hours of high fiving among Radio Shack executives.

Fortunately Maister's readers are fully formed humans and thus wiser and more decent.

"I'm not even sure whose [lap] it was, but if there was [a picture], it was completely innocuous."

Best Adweek quote ever.

Burnt orange? I had no idea Gropius was a UT alum.

Even I, a fan of the all-text presentation, would have appreciated a photo or two of the renovated Bauhaus: "The sombre black-and-white colours of the post-war years have yielded to subtle streaks of burnt orange, acid-lemon, deep blue, pink and red - giving the building an enhanced quality of warmth and space just in time for its 80th anniversary celebrations....The Bauhaus is one of modernism's more sacred shrines, but what do you do with a famous name that inspired artists for decades, but which now might seem somewhat remote to younger people?"

Again, let me recommend photos. Maybe even moving pictures.

It's like a listicle, only more so

The brilliantly named Tenspotting.com and its happy backstory. I'll admit it: I'm interested.

Theoretically

I'd like to thank MarketWatch for naming Robert Iger CEO of The Year and thus confirming my Pixar Karma Theory.

I don't often formulate theories -- too much work, too little chance of being right -- but once I decided to go with the stunningly obvious, I've met with great success!

"The love that I've acquired"

T.O.'s birthday party. First, a confession: I wasn't REALLY on the list but I went ahead and wasted that bitch's time. And second, there's something sad and adolescent about T.O. at around 48 seconds in, as if he really does believe all those famous people are his friends.

But first people would have to know who Deutsch is

Donny only pawn in game of politics.