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He's always an interesting interview, though the soapboxing can get tiresome. The good news here is that the author of the piece has edited those impromptu tangents into tidy – and funny – bite-sized summaries.—BK

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I have to admit, I've been pleasantly surprised by most of Chase's work in the show so far. The writers seem to have a good feel for how to use him.—BK

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A nice, in-depth look at a tone-setting scene from one of the Coen Brothers' best films.—BK

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With Bionicle, video games, and tie-in toys, it's definitely not the LEGO you remember. As kids, we had a big bin of random blocks, not a bunch of separate model sets.—JS

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"For easy reference, I made up lists of alternative names for breasts, penises and vaginas, and supplementary lists later on for buttholes, as that trend gained popularity." Not for the squeamish reader, but very entertaining.—JS

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Turns out, sharing everything about yourself online where anyone can access and aggregate it has its drawbacks.—JS

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He even threw a couple of careless balls that should have been picked off, and heaved a key fourth quarter pass a good yard in front of the line of scrimmage; let no one say that Minnesota fans didn't get the entire Brett Favre experience on Sunday!—JM

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Smashing a sand-smoothing vehicle into an outfield wall and nearly tipping over a wheelbarrow full of infield dirt were two of the ways the author embarrassed herself while working as a member of the Washington Nationals grounds crew.—BK

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Ricky Gervais on his directorial debut The Invention of Lying, and on his penchant for abusing himself on screen. (Contains a couple tiny spoilers, for those concerned about such things.)—BK

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Turns out every new advance in communication, from the typewriter to the telephone to writing things down, was met with resistance and prophesies of doom, so maybe Twitter won't destroy the world after all.—JM

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Ignoring the brain trauma problem in retired players and hoping the problem goes away would be bad enough, but what the NFL is doing is even worse.—JM

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Dan "Fake Steve Jobs" Lyons calls Twitterers "imbeciles." Nice link bait, Dan. For that, you win a shiny link!—JS

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Basically, the state turns a profit off the stuff TSA won't let you take on planes. This article implies that dumb fliers are at fault for not knowing the rules, but I think those are outliers – the main issue is really dumb rules.—JS

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"FNL" Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on Netflix, so you don't even have to wait for the DVDs to come in the mail. There's no excuse anymore. Get off your ass like I did last week, and start watching this show. (more "FNL" info to come very soon in a "Best Show On TV" piece if "Glee" is bad again next week)—JM

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Bed manufacturers are setting their sights on male customers, and the results are equal parts intriguing and insane.—BK

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Fascinating, if only for the fact that Chase careens back and forth between botched attempts at humor and self-effacing talk that feels a little disingenuous. (And I say all of this as a fan of his.)—BK

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The number of quality shows on this list is simply astounding. Perhaps there's something to be said for self-referential television.—BK

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The "death panel" idea is a farcical lie, but I actually wish it weren't. I stand ready to pull my mom's plug, precisely because of how much I love her.—JS

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A million dollars goes to a group of computer geeks who figured a way to improve the recommendations on Netflix, and we all benefit. Read on for the juicy details.—JS

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Checking in with the funniest man alive on the eve of his feature film (co-) directing debut.—JS

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Too soon? No, not for this profane, irreverent yet somehow not even remotely disrespectful piece. It its own weird way, this might be the best Patrick Swayze tribute you'll read.—JM

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Today is apparently the "official" start of the new fall TV season, as this week is when the Nielsen tracking kicks off. In honor of that, here's a solid preview from TV critic Alan Sepinwall.—BK

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Why left-handed quarterbacks have a hard time in the NFL.—BK

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Don't let the title mislead you; this is about sports. Or, more specifically, about Posnanski debating fellow writer Ken Rosenthal about the debate over whether Joe Mauer should be AL MVP. (I think he should.)—BK

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As the owner of a mixed breed dog, I'll admit I'm curious about these DNA tests being offered. Not curious enough to spend $60 to $125, but curious nonetheless.—BK

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It would be difficult, if not impossible, to exaggerate the level of respect, bordering on worship, that most comedians feel for the late Bill Hicks.—JM

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O but to live so long and so well, and to be so certain of God's grace.—JM

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More than worth linking to for the caption on the picture of the squirrel alone, but the entire piece is pretty good.—JM

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An Emmy roundtable discussion with Toni Collette, Jon Cryer, Jim Parsons, Amy Poehler, and Sarah Silverman.—BK

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An analysis of the opening night of The Jay Leno Show that includes the words "excruciatingly dull," "creaky comedy," and "filler." Who is this Caryn James, and how quickly can we build a statue in her honor?—BK

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It's not Tuesday morning anymore, but everything should still apply.—JM

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A look at the power and importance of giving your children unconditional love.—BK

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America's sex laws really are shameful – and anyone who thinks they make children safer is delusional.—JS

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And bless him for it. (Need proof that the "kiddie fare" label still restricts the art form's untapped potential? How about the fact that a headline like this can even exist a year after WALL-E?)—JS

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Ran across this after reading Meyer's proof that the express lane isn't always fastest; it's heartening to see a teacher so devoted to effective teaching.—JS

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In light of Kanye West's most recent bizarre, off-putting outburst, this piece written back in May is worth revisiting. The author is kind of kidding, but not really, and makes a pretty convincing argument.—JM

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How we overuse the term, sometimes to the point of diluting its significance.—BK

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How the "Wildcat" offense has infiltrated the NFL, and what it means for the future of the game.—BK

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If anyone can capture the offbeat mix of whimsy and the macabre, it's Jonze. (No offense, Tim Burton.)—JS

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A nice rundown of the stakes and stakeholders involved in Leno's show starting next week. (A little Leno-friendly for our tastes, but hey, what can you do?)—JS

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This is an oldie but a goodie.—JM

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The Flem File takes a look at one man's obsession with football at the dawn of another glorious NFL season.—JM

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As Saturday Night Live makes more inscrutable cast changes this week (Michaela Watkins and Casey Wilson out, two new ladies in), here's a classic feature from 1995 that showcases the dysfunction that has long existed behind the scenes.—BK

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Unfortunately, you have to buy the new issue to get the Colbert cover story, but at least they're tossing us this tasty Q&A bone online.—BK

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And the reality of too much leisure time, which leads to the sort of weight and academic performance issues you might expect. As with most things, moderation is the key.—BK

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A new book collects some of Gladwell's writing for the New Yorker. Since it's all free online, Kottke has organized a table of contents of links. Rather than pick one to link to, I'll let you pick.—JS

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With all of newspapers' bellyaching about their declining relevance, it's sometimes easy to forget that they refuse to work at being relevant.—JS

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A nice feature on the fake Seinfeld reunion that will be a part of the new season of Curb Your Enthusiasm (a feature that EW took their sweet time posting online). It's going to be awesome! (It's got to be awesome, right?) [I'm getting paranoid that it might somehow turn out less than awesome.]—BK

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Inspired by LaGarrette Blount's post-game coldcocking of a Boise State player, Page 2 takes a look at other such incidents. If you are in a position to watch the videos that are linked in this piece, all the better.—JM

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Simmons. Vegas. Read it.—JM

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One of my favorite film blogs reiterates the arguments against a 3D revolution. (Keep beating that drum – we'll kill it yet!)—JS

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Wikipedia further restricts who can actually contribute to the database. Those chosen few tend toward arcane, humorless eradication of useful content by smaller contributors – which would be reason for revolt, if the other 95% of Wikipedia weren't so damn useful.—JS

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A list of quick, quippy jokes centered around a given topic of recent cultural interest? Somehow, I think it works for a Friday around here.—JS

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Bill Simmons writing about Vegas; that's like Julia Roberts going on Letterman. You just don't miss it.—JM

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Yeah it does!—JM

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Believe it or not, the internet turned 40 this week. DJ Gallo has some thoughts about how today's sports world would be different if the internet had never come about...—JM

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Those stories you hear about New York City teachers being paid their full salary to sit in a room for years on end, doing nothing? Completely true.—JM

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How you can order "off" the menu at fast food restaurants. You'll feel like a really big star. Or, you'll just feel fat because let's face it chubs, you're ordering off the menu at a fast food joint.—MW

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Extract looks like it could be good. Considering that it's Bateman's first leading role since 1987, Arrested Development fans probably better hope it's good.—BK

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The author and a high-ranking former narcotics officer calculate the yearly cost of America's war on drugs: more than 15,000 deaths and 50 billion dollars spent.—BK

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A question I have asked many a time while watching a baseball or football game.—BK

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Is Rock Band: The Beatles the ultimate sell-out, or a great new way to connect with their music? (Maybe it's just giving the fans what they want?)—JS

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Drug prices are about to go down (because there's no need to put actual medicine in them), or up (because the expensive ads are what make them effective), or not (because we know very little about how medicine actually works).—JS

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Scientists and religious believers might be able to agree about the evolution of religion. (As with most things, chimps are the key.)—JS