A friend of mine who is a Hollywood insider sent me this newly discovered video of Jamie Foxx auditioning for the part of Ray Charles for the movie “Ray.” I know I’ve said harsh things about Foxx’ portrayal of Ray Charles in the past, but I have to admit that he really hit it out of the park at this audition. See for yourself.

It turns out that Lester from “Willie Tyler and Lester” fame isn’t such a dummy after all.

He’s now the attorney general for the state of New Jersey! See for yourself.

The definition of irony captured in video and song. Click here.

(Make sure your PC’s speakers are on. The video starts out a little slow but hang in there because at about 1:53 into it, this dude turns into the Killer and all hell breaks loose! I believe the drummer was the original drummer for the Go-Go’s. )

Kansas City plus 3 points on the road against the Denver Broncos.

I would like to remind the vast Tunesmith-Anthony readership that the NFL Leadpipe Lock of the Week should be used entirely for amusement only purposes.

Mike Madison over at Pittsblog writes:

Guns or Butter?
“The City Paper says that Allegheny County leads in concealed weapons permits. A relic of gang wars of a decade ago? An ominous portent of bad things to come? A sensible precaution in a potentially dangerous world or a misunderstanding of the non-random nature of much violent crime?”

I’d say none of the above. It’s merely another crappy article by the City Paper.

Charlie Deitch, the author of the article begins with the riveting claim: “Allegheny County may issue more concealed carry gun permits than anywhere else in the country.” May? “May” as in “maybe” or “perhaps” or “I don’t know for certain”? Even Dan Rather wouldn’t base a piece on a wishy-washy claim like that. (Well, maybe he would. Courage.)

The article continues, “A study by City Paper of the 26 states that collect and release county-based data found that Allegheny County’s active permits top the nation in sheer numbers and place us third per capita.” 26 out of 50 states? Well this explains the use of the word “may.” The City Paper “studies” one better than half of all the states and comes to the grave conclusion that Allegheny County residents are the most die-hard gun-toters in the country. That’s like saying the Chicago Cubs have the best record in baseball if you only consider 16 of the 30 major league teams. Shit, with that logic, I could claim to be the valedictorian of my undergrad class. Perhaps I wouldn’t take umbrage with this sloppy reasoning had the author listed the names of the 26 states “studied.” If their “study” included populous states such as New York or California, then maybe “I’d go hmmm,” but the article fails to name all of the states studied and therefore the claim isn’t put in the proper perspective. The author does state that, “Ten states — New York, New Jersey, Alabama, California, Delaware, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Hawaii — allow restricted permit issuance,” but he doesn’t say if any of those are included in the 26 “studied.”

Charlie also states, “Part of the reason Pennsylvania and these other states top the packing list is because we are among the 35 whose statutes dictate the state ‘shall issue’ a permit unless the applicant is a convicted of certain crimes, including second-degree felonies and multiple DUIs.” It’s not quite as simple as standing in line like you’re buying a lottery ticket. You can read the list of circumstances by which a person will be denied a permit here. An applicant must list a valid reason for needing a permit to carry a concealed firearm. Listing “personal protection,” while relatively generic, is a valid reason. If one listed “I’m a paranoid bastard” or “I want to impress women,” then I’m sure that person would be denied. Furthermore, the Sheriff’s Office performs a criminal background check prior to issuing a permit. They don’t take applicants on their word that they’re not criminals. I don’t believe Charlie mentions that.

After setting up this false thesis that Allegheny County residents include a disproportionate number of gun-toters, Charlie uses this flawed logic to elicit quotes from various groups on both sides of the gun debate, further sensationalizing the issue. “I wasn’t aware that we were developing that hysterical climate again, although some of it … may have returned in the past year or so,” Barry McCarthy, a criminal law professor with the University of Pittsburgh says. “The number [of permits] compared to the rest of the state seems disproportionate. I don’t know why it’s so high.” I mean no disrespect to Mr. McCarthy because I don’t know how Charlie presented the facts to him, but I think it’s hard to categorize the limited facts Charlie presents as a sign of a “hysterical climate.” And Allegheny County is the 2nd most heavily populated area in the state; that’s hardly disproportionate.

The point of the article, if one can be found, leaves me with an immense sense of “so what?” Charlie Deitch fails to back up his alarming headline “Number One With a Bullet” and his dramatic byline that “We’re hidden handgun heaven.” OK, so when you look at half of the national statistics, Allegheny County residents are the tops at obeying the law by obtaining permits to carry concealed firearms. Wow. Riveting journalism. Instead of insinuating that Allegheny County residents are a bunch of paranoid Doc Holliday wannabes, maybe Mr. Deitch should commend them for being law-abiding citizens. Furthermore, just because a person has a permit to carry a concealed firearm, it doesn’t mean that he or she carries their Glock with them every time they run out to buy a gallon of Turner’s Iced Tea. Possessing a permit and how often one carries are entirely two different things. He also doesn’t mention any correlation between these permits and crime, nor does he mention one incident in which a person who was lawfully carrying a weapon committed a crime or used it irresponsibly.

For anyone who has read the “About” page on T&A knows, you have an idea of my stance on guns. Therefore, one could quickly presume that I take issue with this City Paper article because of my attitude towards firearms, but that is not the case. I take issue with this article because it is yet another example of irresponsible, lazy and half-hearted journalism, something that I find unacceptable and dangerous. Because the average Joe isn’t going to pick apart the article like I did but will take away the flawed conclusion that there are a ton of people in Allegheny County who pack iron. And that’s not me taking a jab at the average Joe or thinking I deserve an award for doing more than glancing at the article, because I don’t always thoughtfully ponder everything I read, either. I merely examined this article closely because its topic was one of interest to me. And I know I shouldn’t get bent out of shape because after all, this is the City Paper. The Village Voice it ain’t, and most people read it because it’s free and to find out who’s playing at Nick’s Fat City this weekend. But I’m a fan of the underdog and believe that the little guys like the City Paper need to be held to a higher standard than the big boys, like the P-G or the Trib, to be considered a legitimate alternative news source. Anyway, whether you believe the media let us down with Chappaquiddick, “Memo-gate” or the war in Iraq, think long and hard about what you read. Being a skeptic is a good thing.