PHILADELPHIA, DALLAS, CHICAGO (AP):  It was ten years ago today that Matt Marcotte and Alex Gordon joined Phil, Isaac, and I over here at Throwing Things, merging over their Live From Five Minutes Ago and A List A Day blogs, respectively. "The move greatly increases the site's diversity," we noted at the time, "Whereas before Throwing Things solely focused on the cultural tastes of overeducated urban liberal males in their early 30s, the new site will provide the much-needed perspective of groups previously underrepresented in the blogosphere: overeducated urban liberal males in their mid 20s and mid 30s."

We also promised something else: "The newly-merged website, to be titled A List Of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago (for a day or two, anyway)..."  Um, yeah, about that?

I fully recognize that this site are a relic of an era during which there was mostly TWoP, really -- AV Club didn't have comments yet, and Sepinwall was a year-and-a-half away from blogging. Had all the options around today been available then, including social media, I never would have started this thing. I am grateful to have been born at the right time such that I did, and that I've had such great friends with whom to do this, along with all of you in the comments to build and sustain this little community.  So thanks.

MOVE OVER, MUKTUK:  Because the CDC has a new enemy in the war against gastrointestinal distress—"Tough Mudder" competitions. "Inadvertent ingestion of muddy surface water contaminated with cattle or swine feces during a long-distance obstacle adventure course competition likely resulted in an outbreak of campylobacteriosis in 22 participants.... These events typically are held in rural areas and often include man-made slurry fields (a mixture of soil or clay and water) as race 'challenges.' In areas commonly frequented by animals, topsoil used in the creation of slurry fields can be contaminated with feces from domestic fowl or ruminants or wild animals. Competitors who run or ride through such areas might unintentionally swallow sufficient numbers of organisms to cause clinical disease."

THE ROBIN HOOD OF POULTRY:  This story isn't as good as the [pudding or coins from the Mint] for frequent flier miles story. But it's good.

EVER SAY NEVER:  A ranking of every Louie episode.

TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING?  Add Michael J. Fox and Mamie Gummer, and I'm sold:

Picture it: A redheaded lawyer with a penchant for ruffle blouses taking on the toughest cases while complimenting broaches and talking about cupcakes. Yes, we're talking about a TV series starring Carrie Preston as The Good Wife's Elsbeth Tascioni....

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN THE FIELD OF EXCELLENCE:  With the slow death spiral of the soap opera, the Daytime Emmy Awards continue their spiral into obsolescence, but there are a few interesting tidbits in the nominations:

• Several nominations in major categories for online/streaming programs, including both the attempted online revival of One Life To Live and the movie spinoff Turbo: FAST.
• Family Feud, Millionaire, and Wheel of Fortune are all passed over in Best Game Show in favor of The Chase (well deserved), and The American Bible Challenge (less deserved).  Interestingly, though the shows are not nominated, Steve Harvey (for Feud) and Todd Newton (for Family Game Night) are nominated for Best Game Show Host.  Brooke Burns (the weak link in The Chase) is not.
• Regular Soup whipping boy America Now! is nominated for Outstanding Lifestyle Program, against This Old House.  (And don't ask what the difference is between a "Lifestyle Program" and "Talk Show/Informative," where The Chew falls.)
• The ever-delightful category of "Outstanding Special Class Special" does feature a nomination for NPH as co-host of the Disney Parks Christmas Parade special.
• EGOT Watch!  Alan Cumming is up for a voiceover performance.  If Cabaret re-records this revival, he would be eligible for a Grammy for that, which would leave him only an Oscar.  Lin-Manuel Miranda is up for a song he wrote for Sesame Street, and already has a Grammy and Tony for In The Heights.  Assuming the In The Heights movie ever happens, he'd seem to have a very a good shot.

HACKENSACK, PARRIS ISLAND, THE SUEZ, AND GARDINERS BAY: Every place ever mentioned in a Billy Joel song, in barely over three minutes.

BAMBI GOES URBAN:  Sadly, today's morning romp through Center City by a deer (I'm not going to presume it was lost; maybe it was looking for La Colombe) did not end so well.

WE WILL NEVER STOP TRYING TO MAKE FETCH HAPPEN:  Today marks the 10th anniversary of the release of Mean Girls, so it's an appropriate time to share your memories, quotes, and wonder whether, if she'd kept it together, Lindsay Lohan could be having Emma Stone's career right now.

WHO PLAYS JOE HAGGAR?  Put three of our regulars, Bryan Cranston, and the ghost of Lyndon Johnson in the same place (Broadway), albeit not all at the same time, and there's a lot to talk about.  Here's Day One of their discussion:

* * *

From: Amy Watts
To: Emily Sherwood, Randy Perry

Randy,

Emily and I saw "All the Way" together back in early March. We had some good discussion of it afterwards, and now that you've seen it, too, let's talk about it, all three of us.

Today, "All the Way" received two Tony nominations - Best Play and Best Actor (Bryan Cranston, in lead role of Lyndon Baines Johnson). I'd argue that it didn't deserve the former and wholeheartedly deserved the latter.

PACK YOUR KNIVES:  The next season of Top Chef will film in Boston. Suggest a local challenge.

THE BIG TEN, SIX, OR WHATEVER:  FiveThirtyEight polls Midwesterners to try to determine which states are in the Midwest.

In related linkage, via Marsha: a neat five-minute video on the US-Canada border and its many quirks, always a favorite around here.

FARE THEE WELL, PADAWAN:  Your Star Wars: Episode VII primary cast has been announced: "Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow will join the original stars Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker."

EITHER/OR: Several surprises in this morning's Tony nominations:

• Despite having 12 options, the Nominating Committee only went with 4 Best Musical nominees, leaving out If/Then, Bullets Over Broadway, Bridges of Madison County, and Rocky.  Making the cut?  Cotton Club tribute revue After Midnight, Disney adaptation Aladdin, Beautiful, the Carole King biomusical, and A Gentleman's Guide To Love and Murder, which is based on the same book that was adapted as Kind Hearts and Coronets.
• Because After Midnight didn't really have a book, it's not nominated for Best Book.  Getting that slot is Woody Allen for Bullets Over Broadway.  (Woody's never even been nominated for a Grammy or Emmy before, so EGOT watch seems low.)
• Somewhat surprisingly, Aladdin does get into original score (there are some new songs, generally considered inferior to the Ashman/Mencken stuff), with If/Then and Bridges of Madison County filling out the category.
• Though controversially eligible, Cabaret is largely snubbed--no Best Revival nomination, no nomination for Michelle Williams--just a pair of featured acting nods.  (Taking the slot presumed to be hers in Best Actress in a Musical?  The lead from A Night With Janis Joplin.)
• In addition to Michelle Williams, a number of other "name" performers didn't get in, including Zach Braff (Bullets Over Broadway), Norbert Leo Butz (Big Fish), Zachary Levi (First Date), Daniel Radcliffe (Cripple of Inishmaan), James Franco (Of Mice and Men), and Denzel Washington (Raisin in the Sun).

IT'S THE WAY WE ARE FEELING:  With the success of The Sound of Music: Live!, Fox is getting on the bandwagon with Grease: Live! in 2015.  To answer the assured first question, they are apparently using the revised script, incorporating "Hopelessly Devoted to You," "You're The One That I Want," and the title song.  No casting is announced yet, but you have to assume that they go after Idol and Glee folks.  (Darren Criss as Teen Angel?)

IF YOU FEEL STUPID, IT'S NOT BECAUSE I'M MAKING YOU FEEL THAT WAY:  Remember that 2011 deposition which descended into madness over the meaning of "photocopier"?  Because we now have The Verbatim Dramatic Reenactment, and it is brilliant. [HT: Jordan.]

EVERY SCENE WILL BE SHOT IN SLO-MO:  We're all in agreement that handing over your big budget world-spanning comic book franchise to the guy who wrote and directed Buffy and Firefly is a much smarter move (at least from an artistic standpoint) than handing it over to the guy who directed The Owls of Ga'Hoole, right?