HE FIXES THE CABLE? Ten years ago this week, The Big Lebowski was released in theaters, grossing all of $17,451,873 during its domestic run. [Check out this contemporaneous CNN review, which seemed to miss the point.]

I highly recommend (but that's just, like, your opinion, man) that all fans purchase the recent book I'm a Lebowski, You're a Lebowski: Life, The Big Lebowski, and What Have You by the Lebowski Fest organizers, which interviews almost all the key participants, both in terms of the actors and the real-life people who inspired the Coens in writing the script -- including the three people upon whom Walter Sobchak is based, and the real-life son of Hollywood, Jaik Freeman, whose homework was found in a recovered stolen car, and what have you.

I took Lucy to a bowling birthday party last weekend, and I can't tell you how often I was tempted to say "Mark it zero" when seeing the five-year-olds' feet crossing the line. Come on, Donny, let's go get us a lane.

Midnight Train To Georgia - 30 ROCK from coka

AND YOU SHOULDN'T TORTURE WHALES: Y'know, at the time I thought that there wasn't much to say about "Episode 210," the last 30 Rock to air before the strike. But I find myself really missing that "Midnight Train to Georgia" performance at the end, and so apropos of nothing but warm feelings and a desire for new episodes that are still a month away, I'm linking to it here.

THREEPEAT: Spurred by this week's SNL hosted by ALOTT5MA fave Amy Adams and how much press SNL's "four straight new episodes!" plan got, I was wondering when the last time three women hosted the show in a row was, thinking it might be a record. It's not--three times before has there been a three-peat for the ladies:

• April and May 1976--Raquel Welch, Madeline Kahn, and Dyan Cannon host in a row
  
• February 1981--Sally Kellerman, Deborah Harry, and Charlene Tilton host in a row
  
• February 2004--Megan Mullally, Drew Barrymore, and Christina Aguilera host in a row (preceded by a Nick Lachey/Jessica Simpson hosting duo).

Had there been a fourth in a row, it would be a record. Instead, next week, Jonah Hill hosts. Who'd you like to see host in the rest of the year? Justify your answers. (My thoughts--John Krasinski, with guest appearance by George Clooney, selling Leatherheads, Jason Segel and Kristen Bell selling Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Robert Downey, Jr., selling Iron Man.)

THE SEA TRAVEL MENAGERIE: As a companion to Isaac's prior post and to update you on my week of vacation on the high seas, I provide you with a selection of folks I encountered over the past week on the lovely Norwegian Gem:

• Large hordes of Quebecois (apparently, last week was Quebec Spring Break)
• Excessively perky cruise director (named Julie, natch)
• Overly friendly middle-aged couple
• Old people attempting to play Wii Sports offered as activity by ship staff (and, amusingly, not being particularly successful at doing so)
  
• Comedian who desperately wants to be Lewis Black
• Production show singer with frightening resemblance to Jack McBrayer (among the songs he sang were "Pinball Wizard" and multiple Elton John pieces)
• No, You Should Not Be Wearing That Bikini
• People who want free t-shirt, and will do anything to get it
• Decent slight-of-hand magician
• Older woman who insists on describing everything decent slight-of-hand magician is doing to her male companion during the show
• Solid group of folks from The Second City
• Seriously drunk girl and seriously drunk boyfriend who manage to highjack Second City "adult" show with description of their day, punctuated by moments such as rubbing the Second City performer's chest and shouting "I love your boobs!"
  
• People who, after a week on board, still cannot figure out which way they need to go to reach their stateroom/the casino/the pool
  
• Large group of drunk Spring Break-ers complaining about excessive difficulty of trivia questions

I'm tanned, rested, and ready to clean out my TiVo (even if I lost a few things, including my recording of Great Performances: Company and the antepenultimate Wire due to my travels).

MY CODE NAME IS GUNNER: IF YOU GO BACK TO THE STACKS TO COMPLETE THE LAW REVIEW WRITE-ON COMPETITION, TURN TO PAGE 18; IF YOU DECIDE TO GO TO THE WOODLAWN TAP TO DRINK PABST AND CHASE SKIRT, TURN TO 70: Via BoingBoing, I notice a number of links mapping out the contents of various CYOA texts.

Somewhere, I have a draft of a CYOA for the entire law school experience.

THE ANSWER, TENTATIVELY, IS FIREMAN TOM WESTMAN. MAYBE HUNG HUYNH: Complete this sentence -- Christian Siriano's win in Project Runway 4 constitutes the most authoritative beginning-to-end seemingly inevitable ass-kicking in a reality tv competition since _____________ .

[A word on spoilers: we've discussed this in-house and agree that once you're outside a 48h window of the initial airtime, it's okay to discuss results openly like this. Maybe sooner, depending on circumstances.]

VENTURA HIGHWAY IN THE SUNSHINE, WHERE THE DAYS ARE LONGER, THE NIGHTS ARE STRONGER THAN MOONSHINE: A map to Tom Petty's L.A. Also, the cartography of New Jersey, according to Bruce Springsteen.