HA, HA, YOU'RE ALL FOAMY!  It was twenty years ago today that a lanky, ginger-haired unknown hosted NBC's Late Night for the first time. He previewed the show in this op-ed for the New York Times:

The crowd was visibly eager to like the young newcomer, but some seemed puzzled by the radical new set. The backdrop, consisting of 15-foot representations of Mr. O'Brien's laughing head, loomed over his desk and chair, both carved from illegally imported African ivory. While this was somewhat unsettling, an aura of eager anticipation still hung in the air.  

Until, that is, the new Late Night band began to play. Composed of musicians cut by the Boston Pops, the band lurched into an interminable version of "Waltzing Matilda," apparently the show's theme song. The bandleader, a surly cellist, refused to make eye contact with anyone and hissed at a young girl who tried to clap along...

EXPECTO FILMOCULUS!  So, how do we feel about news that J.K. Rowling is working on an original screenplay (her first) which will be set in the world of Harry Potter in New York around 1920-1930?

THERE ARE NOT MANY WHO REMEMBER, THEY SAY A HANDFUL STILL SURVIVE TO TELL THE WORLD ABOUT THE WAY THE LIGHTS WENT OUT, AND KEEP THE MEMORY ALIVE:  The 2013 Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime achievement in the field of excellence will go to Carlos Santana, Billy Joel, Shirley MacLaine, Herbie Hancock, and operatic soprano Martina Arroyo. Said MacLaine, “The other [awards I've received] are for a part you did or for how you interpreted a character, but this is about how you’ve interpreted yourself.”

Of note, in response to justifiable outrage, the honoring of Santana and Arroyo doubles the number of Latino artists who have been recognized since the Honors began in 1978. Also, for what it's worth, it's hard to remember when last they had only one acting/tv/stage person recognized.

DING!  Don't let anyone spoil for you the cameos in Jimmy Fallon's "Joking Bad". Just watch and enjoy. (Contains references through the end of season four.)

similarly amusing: "What makes The Newsroom the greatest show on television?"

ALL HAIL THE SHRINE OF THE SILVER MONKEY: Today's the 20th anniversary of the premiere of Legends of the Hidden Temple, and Buzzfeed has a lengthy remembrance from host Kirk Fogg and Olmec voice Dee Bradley Baker.

"IF WE ARE OFFENDING ONE PERSON, WE NEED TO BE LISTENING, AND MAKING SURE WE'RE DOING THE RIGHT THINGS TO TRY TO ADDRESS THAT":  It sure sounds like NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's attitudes are evolving towards the nickname of the Maryland-Based Professional Football Team Which Got Run Over By The Chip Kelly Express This Week.

PAGING BIRDIE, THE EARLY BIRD:  Matt Yglesias throws down:

Every sensible person realizes that the only way to improve on the Egg McMuffin is to switch it up and order the Sausage McMuffin With Egg. Is it conceivable that in some remote corner of the universe McDonald's is going to invent a better breakfast product? Yes, maybe. Or maybe not. Asking whether McDonald's can make a better breakfast sandwich than the Sausage McMuffin With Egg is a bit like asking whether God could make an object so massive that he couldn't move it.

(Yes, I miss the old days.)