I REALLY AM A ROCK STAR: How awesome is it that Kay Hanley, former lead singer of Letters to Cleo (perhaps best known for their awesome Cheap Trick cover used in 10 Things I Hate About You) has now become a fairly successful children's artist? Recent credits include the theme to "My Friends Tigger and Pooh," a pair of songs for Care Bears media, and serving as a backup singer on the Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana tour.

SPICY OR MILD? Al Copeland, founder of Popeye's Chicken (as well as smaller and now-defunct Cajun chain Copeland's of New Orleans), has died. Despite whatever addictive chemical they may put in KFC to make you crave it fortnightly, Popeye's remains my fried chicken of choice, not just for the awesomely spicy chicken, but for the dirty rice and the invariably excellent biscuits. Also of interest in the obit? Popeye's didn't take its name from the spinach-loving cartoon character, but rather from Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in The French Connection.

ARE YOU SAYING ACTORS CAN'T CHANGE THE WORLD? I GUESS NOBODY BOTHERED TO TELL SHARON STONE! If The A.V. Club is going to list ostensibly 17 pro-environment films, tv shows and songs that failed to entertain such as "Captain Planet and the Planeteers" and Steven Seagal's On Deadly Ground, we ought to be able to come up with at least one or two that worked, right?

ALL OF ME, WHY NOT SHAME ALL OF ME? The NYT explores what it's like to live with the stigma of having been in a collegiate a cappella group. James Van Der Beek is among those survivors quoted, and, yes, The Office's Andy Bernard is referenced.

Your confessionals and links to random a cappella performances are, of course, welcome.

ART ISN'T EASY, EASY ISN'T ART: Allow me to join the shower of praise in the current London/Roundabout transfer of Sunday In The Park With George, which is a remarkable production of a remarkable show. Even though the much longer first act takes entirely in 19th Century Paris, both it and the second act, set in 1984 New York, manage to tell us much about creativity, humanity, and art. Particular credit is due to London transfer leads Daniel Evans (in the roles originated by Mandy Patinkin) and Jenna Russell (in the roles originated by Bernadette Peters). For those who enjoy the American musical generally or Sondheim in particular, this is essential. I would also support the Tony Awards adding a special category to recognize the production design here--while the scenic design is deliberately minimalistic (a plain white stage with doors on the side), the production makes brilliant use of projections to recreate paintings and makes brilliant use of special effects in the "Putting It Together" number, which, in addition to being remarkably well-sung, is a perfect illustration of synchronization between performers, music, and a tech crew.

The Man, The Brand, The Plan To Rule TV

"I HAD A TOTAL, 100 PERCENT STRATEGY TO BE THE DICK CLARK FOR OUR GENERATION, TO BE THE MERV GRIFFIN FOR OUR GENERATION, TO BE THE LARRY KING FOR OUR GENERATION": The WaPo's Tom Shales sits down with Ryan Seacrest:

It's not that he's multi-talented; he's anti-talented, not a performer but a professional "personality," the latest variation on a type as old as broadcasting: the guy who stands there and introduces the acts. He's a low-key cheerleader who keeps the show moving and, with the judges as natural foils, allies himself with the audience and the contestants, never threatening to upstage the performers, even if he could.

For all that, he stops mercifully short of outright sycophancy, a la Ed McMahon. Never a "You are correct, sir," even to Jackson. Part of the Seacrest shtick is coming across as a little too cool for his role, yet a good enough sport to play along. Seacrest isn't lovable, nor foolish enough to try to be. He's just aiming for tolerable -- bull's-eye.

Or as Allison Glock wrote about Seacrest back in May 2004: "A successful Personality attracts a large audience without challenging them. He lulls and coddles and strives not to alienate. He presents himself as likable, nonthreatening and, most important, reachable -- never too handsome or too happening or too sharp. Theirs is not a world of superlatives but of glossy averageness, the 5-foot-9 man, the pleated khaki, the Dave Matthews Band. A successful Personality never, not for a second, worries about being cool.... Seacrest explains: People don't react to me with awe, like a movie star. It's 'What's up, Ryan?' Like I'm their friend. And I want that. I want to be the world's friend."

There is a reason why Ryan Seacrest succeeds in a role at which Billy Bush annoys and from which Carson Daly has more-or-less disappeared, and I don't believe it's anything that can ever be taught.

Peeps Show 2 - washingtonpost.com

PROJECT PEEPWAY: In honor of the Easter holiday, the Washington Post has for the second straight year sponsored a Peeps Diorama Contest involving our marshmallow-based friends. They received over 800 entries; here are the 37 best.

Related: Philadelphia Weekly visits the Peeps factory in Bethlehem, PA, as well as other area snack providers like Utz, Rita's, Tastykake and Herr's.