ASIDE FROM ITS BEING THE BIRTHPLACE OF JAMES BROWN, STEPHEN COLBERT AND SHE-CRAB SOUP: Yes, I have another reason to be a fan of South Carolina tonight. [Open political analysis thread.]

SADLY, NO BAR MITZVAH INVOLVED: After a long (and rather unfortunate) day at the office today, I hopped in a cab to head homeward, and, rather unexpectly, Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" came on the cabbie's radio--there are few songs guaranteed to make folks happier than that. Any other songs that just make you inexplicably happy?

School of Arts & Sciences - University of Pennsylvania

FELLINI'S 8.5: Mathematics Professor Dennis DeTurck at the University of Pennsylvania wants elementary schools to stop teaching fractions, long division, the manual calculation of square roots and by-hand multiplication of long numbers.

DAMN YOU, BERLANTI! Amidst all the Lost hype, a reminder that it's probably worth staying tuned for (or setting your DVR for) the premiere that follows--new Greg Berlanti lawyer drama Eli Stone. As a fan of Berlanti going back to the Everwood years, I'm sure to turn in, but if that's not selling point enough--the cast includes Jonny Lee Miller (aka "Angelina's Pre-Brad Man"), SpyDaddy! (who apparently will get to sing), Loretta Devine, B'way faves Laura Benanti and Joanna Gleason, Veronica Mars alum Julie Gonzalo, and Patch Abbott himself (plus regular cameos from George Michael. Sure, I'm not exactly thrilled by reports that the pilot has a major plot endorsing the (at best) dubious "vaccines cause autism" theory, but that cast is enough to make me interested regardless of how much political sermonizing we may get.

DIE FOR SOMETHING, OR LIVE FOR NOTHING: "I can't think of another blockbuster action franchise that has been so unabashedly right wing in its world view," writes Matt Zoller Seitz in his review today of Rambo and appreciation of the four-part series:

For all of Rambo's enjoyably absurd superheroics and chunks-a-flyin' combat -- not to mention its nostalgic spectacle of a Reagan-era action hero shredding hundreds of greasy louts -- it's that phrase, more than anything else, that lingers in the mind: War is in your blood. Read it, hear it, memorize it -- and don't be surprised to see it on bumper stickers or t-shirts after Rambo has left theaters, and newspaper critics have all had to write pieces explaining why this supposed liver-spotted relic of a film made so much money. Like its three predecessors, Rambo strikes a nerve, and it's not a nerve that America's left-leaning critical establishment wants struck.

Matt concludes: "Rambo is America's undying warrior spirit made flesh -- a human incarnation of the "sleeping giant" that Japanese Admiral Yamamoto claimed had been awakened by Japan's bombing of Pearl Harbor. By defining Rambo this way, and pitting him against murderous, torturing, decadent Others who, unlike Rambo (and us), have no code, no sense of decency, no humanity, this series aims to show that our nation is right even when it's wrong, and that it makes war because it is a righteous warrior nation in a barbarian world. The warrior spirit is America's defining trait, the double helix from which the rest of its character is built. We've come full circle."

[Adds the AV Club: "Stiffly written, woodenly acted, and indifferently directed, yet full of s--t blowing up real good and motherf------s getting killed, Rambo is fun-bad, then bad-bad, then ultimately fun-bad again, before its abrupt end. A plea for international intervention in Burma cunningly disguised as a B-movie bloodbath, Rambo is paradoxically both a condemnation and celebration of mindless slaughter."]

FOR KARL EMIL JULIUS ULRICH SALCHOW: The 2008 U.S. National Figure Skating Championships are this weekend. Though ALOTT5MA fave Stephanie Rosenthal is skipping them to focus on her studies at Yale, our roving correspondent Gretchen nevertheless files this report:

While spunky Emily Hughes had to pull out due to an injury, there are still some good competitions to come. Kimmie Meissner, a world champion, has been floundering this season -- can she get her act together and pull off a clean program? Or will young Carolina Zhang will steamroll right over the older skaters? I'm also rooting for Alissa Czisny, who has been working with Brian Boitano to improve her jumping technique. In ice dancing, Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto should have no problem pulling off another gold in ice dancing (and they have a really cute original dance to Aaron Copland music). As for the pairs, they'll probably be just as tragic as they always are, but at least this time, they won't have the Chinese and European pairs to outclass them. But the highlight will probably be the men's competition, where Evan Lysacek and Johnny Weir will again fight for the gold medal.

Okay, fine, because someone will insist: you can have your Plushy again.

HE'S NOT GAY ANYMORE! In my experience, the test of when a voting-based reality show has won me over is the moment when I am inspired to actually pick up a phone and vote. And thus I can report that as of last night, I am officially a maker of supermodels. That whole routine with Frankie the Deeplie Oogie announcing that Holly was too drunk during the sex shoot to model properly got me sufficiently incensed to go track down a phone and vote for Holly eight times. (I gave Aryn my other two statutorily mandated votes, partially because Jay is such a dud and partially -- ok, mainly -- because I am curious to see whether it will be Aryn or Ronnie that gets Ben to cheat on his wife first.)

In general, I vastly prefer the guys to the girls, although that may be attributable to the fact that after umpteen cycles of ANTM, I'm a little burned out on TV shows about girls trying to become models. And, you know, some of the guys are pretty hot, unlike the usual "let's find some really tall really thin girls with really weird features" routine. Perry and Casey are not exactly painful to watch. And Ronnie has skyrocketed since his makeover -- the blonde "young Elvis" hair is doing well by him. As for the girls, Jacki is a no brainer, and there's something about Holly that I like as well. My money is currently on a Perry / Jacki showdown, but it's still too soon to make a reliable call.

Things I dislike about the show? Mainly just two: the weekly measurements sessions and Niki Taylor.

So . . . who's watching Make Me a Supermodel?