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They'll probably get under your skin a little, too.—JS

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Two authors – one a Vikings fan, one a Packers fan – offer their thoughts on Brett Favre's return to Lambeau Field in purple and gold. This'll have to do for now, NFL fans; my picks will go up on Saturday.—JM

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Considering his awards show appearances to date, it should be awesome. I wouldn't consider it an audition to host the Oscars, though; it's my understanding he's been offered that job before, and (rightly) turned it down.—JS

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It's come to this: I'm linking to my own stuff now. But this one is worth it, if I may humbly be allowed to say so.—JM

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Parker, who may well be one of the sharpest knives in the drawer, herein offers up more clichés than you can shake a stick at.—JM

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You know what? When I see a movie that apparently only Roger Ebert and I liked, I'm going to link to his review of it.—JM

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This is well-trod territory, but it still interests me. And even though doing a piece on women in comedy without talking to Sarah Silverman would be a bit like doing a piece on black presidents without talking to Barack Obama, this is worth reading nonetheless.—JM

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One of these games will obviously have to be bumped off the list when Brett Favre and the Vikings visit Lambeau Field on Sunday...—JM

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This isn't exactly news (Fischer died in January of 2008), but the bizarre story of the chess champion's life remains morbidly fascinating.—JM

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Seeing Coach Taylor in the East Dillon red and black in the photo accompanying this article was every bit as disorienting to this Vikings fan as seeing Brett Favre in purple and gold for the first time. That's how deeply "Friday Night Lights" gets under your skin. Seasons 4 starts tonight and it's only on DirecTV for now, but Seasons 1 through 3 are available to watch on your computer via Netflix. There's simply no excuse anymore, folks.—JM

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Add the "Freakonomics" guys to the growing list of people who aren't exactly losing a ton of sleep over gloom-and-doom climate change predictions.—JM

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One of David Letterman's only female writers (ever) shares her thoughts in a very even-handed, non-whiny manner.—JM

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Dear Internet: I have now linked to every funny or fascinating item I can find or think of. Please come up with some new stuff. Thanks!—JS

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As someone less determined and less disciplined than he used to be, I found a lot to appreciate in this essay.—JS

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1) Cracked.com has a "Greatest Hits" section right on the home page, including this longtime favorite of mine; 2) I'm just back from a four-day vacation with virtually no time to scare up decent home page links; 3) Perfect storm.—JS

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Geez, I hope not; that's where I keep all of my stuff!—JM

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Why the NFL's salary cap system isn't working as flawlessly as some would have you believe.—BK

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The actress talks about her new one-woman Broadway show, Wishful Drinking, and the life that helped inspire it.—BK

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There's a Pythons documentary and a new Fawlty Towers DVD set on the way. Besides, I'll take any excuse to listen to Cleese talk about writing Fawlty Towers.—JS

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Are the breakdowns at CERN's Large Hadron Collider actually evidence that it is working perfectly? So perfectly that ripples backward in time are causing it to break?—JS

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A column that praises the integrity and fortitude of USC coach Pete Carroll while simultaneously bashing the BCS? Um... yes please!—JM

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What can poker teach us? Pretty much everything, if this piece is to be believed.—JM

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Yeah, yeah; two football links. Quit whining, they're both good. In an excerpt from his new book of essays, Klosterman explains why he – and we – love football so damned much.—JM

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"We have lost 40 per cent of the shafts of our long bones, because we have much less of a muscular load placed upon them these days." And as hard as this is to believe based on that quotation, this piece is not about porn.—JM

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With stops to work on Heat Vision and Jack and The Sarah Silverman Show in between.—BK

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Worth reading, if only for the insanity that was former NFL coach Dick Vermeil.—BK

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There's a pithy and interesting one-sentence explanation for the financial crisis – and, in a way, the perilous future of capitalism. And Calvin Trillin sucks all the fun out of it, as only he can.—JS

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I'm delighted to be validated on this one. A quirky, tonal send-up with a certain acquired-taste appeal, Down With Love was nonetheless much better than it ever got credit for.—JS

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Some hard truths here. Some hard, hard truths.—JM

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An eloquent exploration of the role that depression and mental instability can sometimes play in the creation of great art.—BK

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I had the great pleasure of seeing The Big Lebowski for the umpteenth time on the big screen with a theater full of fellow fans this weekend. That has nothing to do with this link, other than to give you a glimpse into my mindset: Coens!—BK

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I was waiting for a dramatic Pete Carroll victory to pull this goodie from the archives; I think Saturday's odd combo of "suspenseful" and "trouncing" will do. (Ignore the dopey premise and title – you'll enjoy an insightful profile of a fascinating guy.)—JS

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If you're still reading our site, there's a pretty solid chance it'll be catnip to you, too. Set your TiVos, starting this Sunday.—JS

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Hitchens, evidently no fan of the Nobel Peace Prize, nevertheless finds Obama's "premature." Perhaps "hopeful" would be a nicer way of putting it.—JS

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Keillor (the anti-Hitchens, if ever there was one) says just get over it. Why should the Nobels make any more sense than the Oscars anyway?—JS

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Basically: anything useful. But you probably already knew that, since all available evidence shows intelligence obtained under torture is unreliable. (Otherwise, we'd have Al Qaeda right where we want 'em!)—JS

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One hardly expects politesse or customer service when one dials one's cellular provider's customer service line. But a political screed? That's a surprise.—JS

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Get it? Hare? As in, a Playboy bunny? Oh, it's no use with you people. Anyway, Marge has already been in Maxim. Yes she's a MILF, but I don't see how this undoes any of the show's creative nosedive.—JS

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New "30 Rock!" New "30 Rock!" New "30 Rock!" New "30 Rock!"—JM

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Fewer Americans are relocating than at any time since 1962. Why that's good news for families, communities, and even the environment.—BK

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Gladwell asks the provocative question: how different (for the competitors) are dogfighting and football?—BK

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Wow; talk about my wheelhouse: a piece about how boring it is to read bad children's books to your kid. I will make one point in defense of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," however: it's short. Lots of tediously bad children's books are not.—JM

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The answer to this question: yes, but just barely.—JM

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Here's what I link to when left to my own devices, folks!—JM

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ABC's new reality show "Shark Tank" is even better than this review would lead you to believe.—JM

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The cult of personality grows (although who could object to this? Learning is learning).—JM

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The A.V. Club's apparently added regional features (who knew?), like this quiz that gives a shout out to the Coen Bros. retrospective going on here in the Twin Cities.—BK

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One of the best Cracked entries we've linked to (which is saying something). Manages to be funny while staying mostly "straight" (except for the photo captions). It just proves what I've always said: women aren't not funny.—JS

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With one shameful exclusion: "The Mattel and Mars Bar Quick Energy Chocobot Hour".—JS

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Granderson doesn't name names, if you're looking for that sort of thing, but he tackles an issue that I've long seen as a very important one. Fortunately, I don't think we're too far away from pro athletes being openly gay, and having it not be a big deal.—JM

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Ms. Sachs interviews Jesse Sheidlower, who may be the world's leading expert on "f*ck" (asterisk intended. My part of the homepage is a family show...)—JM

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Spoiler: it was unions, pretty much. Unions and environmentalists. Also, Arnold didn't help matters.—JM

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This explains the careers of Michael Cera and Seth Rogan (well, this, plus their considerable comedic talents. But still).—JM

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It was an exhilarating, frustrating, exhausting, and ultimately, for the Twins fans among us, triumphant game last night. Wojciechowski calls it an "instant classic," a phrase I've always been reluctant to embrace, but in this case, yeah, maybe it was.—BK

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Please indulge Joe and I in a little "farewell to the Metrodome" (at least for the Twins) excess this week. Posnanski does a great job of nailing the "hate it but I've grown to love it" attitude many of us have toward the dump, and how, at the end of this baseball season, it's refusing to go away quietly.—BK

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In an effort to avoid the tabloid craziness of Letterman's current scandal, let's all enjoy this terrific bit of classic poop reading about how his 2000 heart attack transformed both the host and his show.—BK

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True stories behind the battle to put "naughty" words in dictionaries. (The language may get rough, but if you're offended by that sort of thing, I doubt you're on this page to begin with.)—JS

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I had hoped this would be in verse form – still, it's a savvy look at the prospects and shortcomings of The Jay Leno Show. (And I was surprised to learn Marina Franklin is on it – maybe I'll tune in!)—JS

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The ball beeps and the bases hum, allowing blind players to take part in a pretty physical version of baseball.—JS

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We're set up for either the best two days in Metrodome history... or the worst. Or I guess somewhere in between.—JM

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An important reminder that ESPN's 30 for 30 starts airing this week, and that it has the potential to be unbelievably awesome.—BK

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You don't necessarily have to be a football fan to enjoy this column (trust me, my knowledge of the NFL is cursory at best), especially because of a brilliant "Most screwed-up celebrity kids in 2025" fantasy draft tangent that pops up in the middle. (My apologies to Joe for possibly stealing a Simmons link.)—BK

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Holy Batman Jesus! Of all that we know about Dave (admittedly, very little), this was the last thing I'd have expected. I fear the nutjobs that Palin whipped into a frenzy will devour him now.—JS

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If you're headed to McDonald's and you're in the continental U.S., 145 miles is the farthest you'll have to drive.—JS

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If I'm PoopReading.com contributor Jameson Simmons, then the BCS is my Leno. Or my Twitter. The BCS is like a million tweets from Jay Leno being read aloud by Julianne Moore.—JM

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I'm sure that the arts community would be defending him just as vociferously if he were a Catholic priest rather than an acclaimed director. Aren't you?—JM

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This isn't exactly timely, but it's a good example of why Roger Ebert is so damn good. 2008's Lakeview Terrace got a 47 average score on Metacritic.com (that's not good), but among notable critics only Ebert rightly saw it as a top-notch thriller and more (i.e., only Ebert agreed with me).—JM