Underrated

Bagged Spinach - You might be saying to yourself, "what, how is this a good thing?" And I'll tell you (otherwise this part of the column would be done). The outbreak of e-coli from this bagged spinach is a good thing because we in this country were taking the until recent suppression of e-coli for granted. Sure, you might say that we had just been very good about keeping it out of the hands of our population and thusly keeping them safer, but I choose to think that you can only truly become immune to something and therefore eradicate it when you've overexposed yourself to it and therefore allow your body to ignore it. It's the Princess Bride effect. Wesley made himself immune to Iocaine powder by slowly ingesting it over time building up an immunity to it. That's the way to go. This bagged spinach fiasco was just nature reminding us that if we can't look to fictional movie characters to teach us how to live healthy lives then who can we look to?

New Orleans Saints fans - Not to get all sweet on you but you gotta hand it to the New Orleans Saints fans for stepping up this year. This people have nothing and somehow the Saints managed to sell out the entire season via season ticket holders. People who may not even have clothes or a house are ponying up to see the city's professional football team. And the Saints are responding. They're 3-1 after a barely losing at Carolina on Sunday. The team formerly known as the 'Aints are playing well and it's not a fluke. Kudos to the people of the crescent city for stepping up for your team when your own federal government wouldn't step up for you when Katrina hit last year.

Nip/Tuck - One of the craziest shows on television. I'm glued to my tv every Tuesday from 10 to 11pm. Deformed babies creating rifts between Dr. McNamara and his wife. Their son checking out scientology because of (my favorite) Kimber and it seems they might have an affair developing in the process. Christian is getting lunchtime lipo and banging the boss's wife. And just last week the lesbian anesthesiologist got picked up by a 10 and got drugged and had her kidney harvested! Basically if you're not watching this show you're a box. What else are you watching, Grey's Anatomy (I'm aware it's on Thursday, just making a point)? Please, all these docu-dramas about crime scenes and hospitals and court rooms are just stupid and cookie cutter like the massive influx of sitcoms in the mid-90's that tried to copy the success of Seinfeld and Frasier. Nip/Tuck is original and actually compelling and exciting compared to CSI/Law & Order/Cold Case/ER/Grey's Anatomy/Boston Legal and every other boring drama that shouldn't be allowed to be on television. Oh, and ladies, there's a great chance to see man-ass almost every single week. You've gotta like that.

Overrated

Scissor Sisters - Who are these clowns? For some reason Comedy Central played a commercial for their new album about a half dozen times during the Daily Show/Colbert Report hour last week. The first time I saw it I thought it was some sort of Best of the 70's crapfest cd infomercial then realized it was a new music group. I had heard of the group before but never heard their music. Now I miss the days I hadn't. This is just awful. Disco sucked in the 70's so why do you think it'd be good now? Will anyone buy this album? Probably the same weirdos that got the Fallout Boy and Panic! At the Disco albums. Yea, talk to me in a year when neither group is around. How are crappy groups like the Sisters allowed to grace the airwaves? Who says, "Ya know what, this sound is outdated and the trend didn't work when the style was first made popular anyway. But there's a pretty looking girl and they all dress like 13th century Brits so it has to sell!" Idiots.

Larry Coker - Green Day was right when they sang "nice guys finish last." The Miami Hurricanes are 2-2 after barely beating Houston Saturday 14-13. You're saying to yourself, "Houston has a college?" Exactly. The Cougars came very close to beating a Hurricanes team that lost four of its last six games including a 40-3 drubbing in the Peach Bowl last year to LSU, opening day at the Orange Bowl to Florida State, and the debacle in Louisville to the Cardinals. Coach, I like you as a person, but you're a bad coach. The Canes are a top echelon team and you're bringing them down because it seems you have no idea what you're doing. There is so much talent on that team (as always) but none of these young kids have any clue what to do because you haven't the foggiest idea of how to properly teach them. Sorry Larry but it's time to go. I can't wait til the end of the season - I've had enough. The students, alumni and fans deserve better.

Fox News - Bill O'Reilly gets in a fight on the Late Show (go Dave!), Bill Clinton rips Chris Wallace a new one, and now the channel is trying to say that Clinton "went crazy" for no reason. Who really watches this news channel? Seriously. The only way Fox News could be any more biased is if they made their logo a giant elephant. But wait, that would just physically admit that they're radically biased to the right as opposed to acting biased under a "fair and balanced" veil. Yea I know, I love sarcasm. It's so obvious how ridiculous Fox News is that really the only credible voice the Democratic party has left, Bill Clinton, has to call the channel out on a national tv interview. Bill Clinton the voice of credibility?? And he did a good job of ripping you apart? Wow, Fox, wow. I've never really been a Willy fan but his post-office attitude and commitments to getting this country back on track (ie. Katrina relief effort and Global Initiative) are more than commendable. Fox News has done nothing to help this country move in the right direction and does stupid things like imply their own opinions in their segment titles like "Is George Bush the greatest president ever?" and "Are we making too much of these torture camps?" Basically they take their view on a topic and add a question mark at the end. Now it's a question, not their opinion. Add a question mark and everything's ok. I've got your next topic titlebar Fox, "Is Fox News a detriment to our society and only degrades our already low global reputation?" That's not my opinion; I'm just asking. Douchebags.