No. 67: Parry Gripp, "Hamster On A Piano (Eating Popcorn)" [80 '08 (And Heartbreak)]
The day that Chinese Democracy leaked should have been sorta-momentous for me. Here was an album that had been part mythical creature/part butt of many a joke/part go-to source for my day job for years and years, and it actually sort of existed! But as it turned out, 15 years of Axl Rose's trials weren't nearly as compelling as a high-pitched voice, a few errant handclaps, and a clip of a tiny baby hamster reclining on a piano key, eating a kernel of popcorn that was as big as his head.I defy you to listen

‘The Gone-Away World’ Author Nick Harkaway on Being Compared to Vonnegut and Life As the World’s Worst Ninja
Hailed variously as the heir to the Kurt Vonnegut legacy, a Joseph Heller for the 21st century, and a Thomas Pynchon for the post-nuclear era, Nick Harkaway has garnered enough accolades since his recent authorial debut to turn a creative-writing MFA grad green with envy (if they weren’t already, thanks to his legacy: He’s the son of author John Le Carre). Harkaway’s first book, The Gone-Away World, is a gripping, satirical, postapocalyptic war epic populated with mimes, ninjas, bureaucrat

Woman finds job after putting ‘’self up for sale online”
In the statement posted on Taobao.com, tony615_2007 said she majored in business administration last year with excellent marks. She scored 710 in GMAT and won the first prize in a national English contest for university students. “The idea occurred to me after I couldn”t find a job for two months,” she said, refusing to give her real name or the name of the company because she did not want media attention, she said. But, she adds, “As far as I know, several other people are trying fo

Late Breaks: Crystal...Stewart...Jackman? Yup.
-Do you work in a non-union job at The New York Times? You are so not getting a raise next year. But, hey, at least you have a job. For now. [Gawker]-The Detroit Free Press is doing away with home delivery except on Thursday, Friday and Sunday -- the days when it actually makes money. On other days, Motown residents will just have to risk gunfire and go to a newsstand. [WSJ]-Have budget cuts hit the Academy Awards? This year's host will be Hugh Jackman. You do the math. [Reuters]-What happens when the stars

Twilight Mania Begets Drug Habit, Yet Another EW Cover -- and a Job for Audrina Patridge?
Twilight mania continues to rage on, with Entertainment Weekly devoting its third cover to the vampire romance.

Bloomberg Jokes He'd Like To Take Over as Moderator of 'Meet The Press'; Brokaw Not Amused.
At one point, interim moderator Tom Brokaw asked Mr. Bloomberg about the possibility of running for a third term in New York. With a slight smile on his face, Mr. Bloomberg tried to turn the tables on his interviewer. "I have 466 days left to go on my job," said Mr. Bloomberg."I was sort of thinking of maybe to be host of this program. That would be a nice job for me. Probably pays a little bit better than the dollar-a-year I get now." Mr. Brokaw seemed momentarily taken aback by the

eBay slot machine an apt metaphor for career prospects [Caption Contest]
If you were just laid off from eBay, will there be a job for you in five months when your severance runs out? For answers, consult the eBay-branded slot machines now up and running in Las Vegas. Licensing the eBay name is no doubt lucrative, but it's a bizarre branding move, since eBay's moving away from its are-you-feeling-lucky auctions in favor of fixed-price sales. Can you come up with a better caption? Leave it in the comments. The best one will become the post's new headline. Yesterday's loser: Anyone

McCain and Whitman unveil Social Security plan [Caption Contest]
If you were just laid off from eBay, will there be a job for you in five months when your severance runs out? For answers, consult the eBay-branded slot machines now up and running in Las Vegas. Licensing the eBay name is no doubt lucrative, but it's a bizarre branding move, since eBay's moving away from its are-you-feeling-lucky auctions in favor of fixed-price sales. Can you come up with a better caption? Leave it in the comments. The best one will become the post's new headline. Yesterday's loser: Anyone

Double WaMu: Alan H. Fishman In Line For Million Dollar-A-Day Bonus
WHEN Lehman Brothers collapsed, news was of the French trader who’d arrived at his desk to see his desk leave the office. (Although now Nomura, the Japanese outfit, has agreed to take over the European business, his desk might return). Now learn of CEO Alan H. Fishman, chief executive of Washington Mutual. He started his new job at the failed bank just three weeks ago. Mr Fishman is now eligible for $19.1 million in compensation. The New York Times notes: Mr. Fishman, who has been on the job for less

JOB FOR A COWBOY: New Video Interview Available
Metal Mark from SkullsNBones.com conducted an interview with Arizona-based extreme metallers Job for a Cowboy on December 6, 2008 prior to the band's concert in Atlanta, Georgia. The four-minute clip, which includes performance footage, can be viewed below. Job for a Cowboy had its latest album, "Genesis", released on picture disc on April 18 (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy) and April 21 (rest of Europe) via Metal Blade Records. The LP is part of the "Metal Blade Vinyl Fan Edition," which means the p

DAATH Records Medley Of CANNIBAL CORPSE, MORBID ANGEL, DYING FETUS; Audio Available
While in the studio recording their new album "The Concealers", the members of DAATH decided to record a medley of classic death metal songs by CANNIBAL CORPSE, MORBID ANGEL and DYING FETUS. The resultant recording — which also features Job for a Cowboy's Jonny Davy on vocals — is entitled "Fecal Finger" and is available for free download only at MetalSucks and will not appear on the new album. Download the track and watch behind-the-scenes video footage at this location. DAATH drummer Kevi

Hot Chloe Madeley, a British Television Presenter Poses For FHM
Meet Chloe Madeley, a British television presenter and a model who has posed for FHM.Chloe Madeley was out and about last night at a charity event, but her wardrobe choice was a little … transparent. A bra isn’t always required, but when you’re wearing a sheer dress in front of flashbulbs, it’s probably a good idea. The event took place at Cafe de Paris, a London nightclub. It’s not the first wardrobe malfunction this family has had; in 2000 Chloe’s mom flashed her bra at

MEGADETH: More Concert DVD Details Revealed
According to a posting on MEGADETH's official web site, the band's forthcoming DVD will contain a complete concert recorded on May 20, 2008 at the Cox Arena in San Diego during this year's Gigantour. The other acts on the bill — IN FLAMES, CHILDREN OF BODOM, Job for a Cowboy and HIGH ON FIRE — were apparently offered a chance to be part of the DVD but declined. MEGADETH will embark on the "Priest Feast" European tour with headliners Judas Priest and openers TESTAMENT in February 2009. According to a p

Illinois: That's It, We've Had Enough Of Your Nude Midget Wrestling
 A bunch of humorless officials in Illinois have taken away a bar's license for sixty days after a midget wrestling night gone wrong...You know, it wouldn't be so bad if they had punished Canton's Outskirts Bar and Grill for the un-PC use of "midget" instead of "little person" or for the fact that the whole thing comes off as terribly exploitative. Nope, they freaked out over a simple mistake:Bar owner Kim Scott said one of the performers took off her top durin

Wallace's 'Jest' still gestating
Weekly: Late author's works circulate film industry -- Before his apparent suicide Sept. 12, David Foster Wallace enjoyed wunderkind status within lit circles, drawing frequent comparisons to Don DeLillo and Thomas Pynchon.

Bloomberg Talks Economy, Partisanship, Next Job
Mayor Bloomberg appeared on Meet the Press to talk the economy, and he said Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson was the right man for the job (for right now). Bloomberg also touted more transparency, "The first thing we need is more disclosure, visibility. The problem is that nobody knows what any institution owns and what the terms of the securities they own are and what they are worth. If that was out in the public domain then there wouldn't be this crisis of confidence." Bloomberg also noted how NYC's

Jobs in Italy: museum curator wanted as Pompeii to be protected
They’re not wrong when they say that this would be a “whopper” job for a museum curator. Italy is currently seeking a head curator that would have the responsibility of running all museums in the country - that’s responsibility for 1,500 museums. It’s about exploiting, and protecting, Italy’s cultural heritage whose decay is highlighted by the state of emergency declared at the Pompeii historical site. In an interesting twist though, once Pompeii’s restoration is c

US Today’s Citizen Journalists Write Entire Paper
CITIZEN journalism means big media corporations can lay off hacks and get you do do their job for free. It’s great… Read all about it… Citizen Journalism Is, Says Jay Rosen Betsy Morgan On How The Huffington Post And New Journalism Screw Writers How To Short Sell iPods And Steve Jobs

No reshuffle job for Cruddas as Lord Adonis moves from education
More details of the government reshuffle have been released. Gay MP Chris Bryant is the new Deputy Leader of the House of Commons.

GMC Taps Johnson to Head Multicultural Sales
Gospel Music Channel has named Tyrone Johnson its senior director of multicultural sales & development. Johnson has worked in media, marketing and advertising for more than 25 years, most recently serving as a consultant to the Gospel Music Channel since its April 2007 subscriber base acquisition of Black Family Channel. He joined Black Family Channel in 2002. “Ty has done a terrific job for us as a part-time consultant, and should make an even greater impact now that he has joined our team on a full-ti

Celebs News: Scott Bruton quits Pontin's Bluecoat job for his X Factor dream
X FACTOR hopeful Scott Bruton has resigned as a Pontin’s Bluecoat to follow his dream of winning the show.

Scott Linehan Fired! Jim Haslett Takes Over As Rams Coach
<b><a class=artname href="http://www.postchronicle.com/news/original/article_212175214.shtml">Scott Linehan Fired! Jim Haslett Takes Over As Rams Coach</a></b><br>Scott Linehan paid for the Rams 0-4 start with his job as he was fired Monday after St. Louis lost to the Buffalo Bills 31-14. Jim Haslett has been given the job for now... <a href="http://www.postchronicle.com/news/original/article_212175214.shtml"><b>More</b>

Robert Giroux, giant of publishing, dies (AP)
AP - Robert Giroux, a distinguished giant of 20th century publishing who guided and supported dozens of great writers from T.S. Eliot and Jack Kerouac to Bernard Malamud and Susan Sontag, died in his sleep early Friday morning. He was 94.

'Miracle Worker' author William Gibson dies at 94 (AP)
AP - Playwright William Gibson, whose "The Miracle Worker" has thrilled audiences for nearly a half-century with the true story of the deaf-blind Helen Keller's rescue from a world of ignorance, has died. He was 94.