Jimmy Rebel

Hey there, Boondockers! I just want to tell you that I almost died getting this episode recap done. Not that it will stop you from making fun of me, I am just saying.

Anyway, tonight's episode is Uncle-Ruckus-centric, which means just one thing: huge, mind-boggling amounts of racism. And that's good! Not the racist part, but the part where The Boondocks gets to deploy lots of satire, which is what it's good at. Also, Aaron McGruder clearly has a blast writing these things, so he tends to pull out all the stops and present us -- and by us, I mean white people, or in my case, half-white people, with material that he knows we're going to laugh at really hard and then feel bad about.

In this episode, we learn that Uncle Ruckus has long idolized Jimmy Rebel, a popular racist country singer based on the infamous Johnny Reb, a.k.a. Pee Wee Trahan. Should you be unfamiliar with Trahan's work, he's really just about as bad as he's portrayed in this episode, though thankfully, not nearly as popular. (At one point, the fake Jimmy Rebel presents Grandpa Freeman with a CD called Real Niggers Never Die, They Just Smell That Way, which, believe it or not, is the name of an actual Johnny Reb song.) So much did Jimmy Rebel's music influence him that he eventually sends off recordings of his own racist tunes to the man, and is faced with a dilemma when Jimmy shows up on his doorstep. Uncle Ruckus' legendary status as a black-hating racist thus runs up against the slight problem of his negritude.

Wacky hijinks, as one might expect, ensue, as Grandpa Freeman is pressed into service to pose as a white racist from behind closed doors, leading to one of the episodes' best gags, as he tries out a number of tried-and-true black guy trying to sound like a white guy voices, including the Humpty Hump voice, the over-enunciation trick, and the might-as-well-be-English accent. The relationship between Ruckus and Rebel develops in an intriguing way, too, as, at first, it turns into a rather disgustingly touching love story, and then goes astray when Rebel turns out to be not quite racist enough for the irredeemable Ruckus.

I expected this one to be a winner, and I wasn't let down; there were some slow patches, but overall, it came through like gangbusters, as do must of the crazily over-the-top Ruckus-based episodes. I also like that we didn't get too much of Huey to provide the rational anti-racist counterweight; it means either McGruder trusts us enough to get the satire, or he just doesn't care anymore. Either way, it means he's got more confidence as a writer than he once did, and that could mean good things to come as we move into what's likely the show's final season.

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Manmohan Singh

India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pledged to almost halve the inflation rate by December and said the country can’t realize its “full development potential” unless tensions with neighboring Pakistan are diffused.

“I am confident that we will slow inflation to 5 percent to 6 percent by December,” Singh, 77, said in a press conference in New Delhi today on completion of a year in office in his second term. “India cannot realize its full development potential unless we have the best possible relations with our neighbors and Pakistan happens to be our largest.”

Singh, an Oxford-educated economist, steered India’s $1.2 trillion economy during the global recession, helping it grow at the fastest pace after China among major economies. To improve the business climate, he last month agreed to restart peace talks with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, stalled by terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008.

The nation’s growth prospects fueled an almost 20 percent increase in the benchmark Sensitive Index in the past year compared with a 13.2 percent gain in the MSCI Asia Pacific Index during the period.

The stock index rose 1.6 percent to 16,712.30 on the Bombay Stock Exchange at 12:10 p.m. local time today. The yield on the key 10-year government bond increased four basis points to 7.42 percent in Mumbai, while the rupee advanced 0.7 percent to 46.61 per dollar.

The relationship between India and Pakistan, South Asia’s biggest economies, has been bedeviled by over 60 years of mistrust and two wars over the Himalayan territory of Kashmir, which the two sides claim in full.

‘Trust Deficit’

Singh said it’s the “trust deficit” with Pakistan that he wants to repair during his current term, scheduled to end in 2014, and accelerate India’s economic growth rate to a 10 percent pace each year to cut poverty.

India’s gross domestic product has grown nearly six times since 1991, when Singh, then finance minister, introduced free- market measures that cut red tape, removed state-enforced capacity caps on steel and cement makers, and allowed overseas companies including Ford Motor Co. to set up operations locally.

Since 2004, Singh presided over an annual average economic expansion of 8.2 percent, the fastest pace in the country’s history since independence in 1947.

Even so, growth was accompanied by inflation as demand for infrastructure including roads and ports outstripped supply.

Inflation Concerns

India’s benchmark wholesale-price inflation rate climbed 9.59 percent in April.

“Prices continue to be a matter of deep concern,” Singh said. “The government attaches the highest priority to containing inflation so that there’s no distress to the common man.”

China’s $4.3 trillion economy grew 11.9 percent in the first quarter, causing consumer prices to climb at the fastest pace in 18 months and adding pressure on policy makers to raise interest rates and allow yuan gains.

Singh became prime minister in 2004 after the ruling Indian National Congress party leader Sonia Gandhi, widow of former slain Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, unexpectedly stepped aside following the election victory and nominated Singh.

Singh and Gandhi led the Congress party to its best election win in 18 years last May. Singh became the first premier since Indira Gandhi in 1971 to be re-elected after serving a full five-year term.

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Jimmy Kimmel Live

After the Lost finale was the Jimmy Kimmel Live special, Aloha to Lost, sending off the recently-concluded series into limbo. Several of the show's stars popped by to recall their favorite moments of the show, with producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse presenting three alternate endings, and Kimmel getting a chance to poke fun at that.

That's done now, and I don't know what to make of it either.

Honestly, though, it's hard to squeeze in six seasons worth of fond memories into an hour-long show. So, while we get some interesting bits from some members of the cast--Matthew Fox, Terry O'Quinn, Michael Emerson and Emilie de Ravin were on the show, among others--it mostly seemed like an underwhelming send-off. But maybe that is the point.

With that said, here are the highlights of Jimmy Kimmel Live: Aloha to Lost. Trust me, I tried squeezing things out.

Matthew Fox on the show's ending: "What's beautiful is that there's room for interpretation depending on their spiritual beliefs."

Michael Emerson on talk that he and Terry O'Quinn are hoping to work together again after Lost: "We try to think that kind of double-act we can do later in life, but once in a while we have a half-clever idea that we're pitching around in street corners."

Terry O'Quinn on the "least professional" member of the cast: "Josh Holloway." In a funny twist, Josh wasn't around, but he did have a pre-taped segment where he claims to be on the set of the movie Snakes on a Plane 2, where he dances like a snake.

Daniel Dae Kim on Jin and Sun's death: "A lot of people come up to me and ... don't congratulate me on the scene. They say, 'what about the baby?'"

Michael Emerson on Ben being hit a lot: "I never saw a glimmer of relish in their eyes when they come after me."

Terry O'Quinn on the most memorable Lost scene ever: "I can't forget when we were shooting "Walkabout" ... when I watched it, that was when it all came together for me. I went, 'holy mackerel, this really is something."

Harold Perrineau on the fate of his on-screen son, Walt: "He's eight feet tall and dating!"

Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse really stuck to their vows of not talking after the finale: The three "alternate endings" turn out to be a sketch. The first ending involves Survivor's Jeff Probst popping up and "eliminating" Sayid from the show. The second one, featuring Jorge Garcia, is a parody of the controversial Sopranos ending. The third had Bob Newhart recreate his old show's memorable ending, only with Evangeline Lilly on his bed side...

Kimmel ended the show mentioning a Q&A between the show's audience and his guests. The video is up and you can view it right below. While the show most of us saw on TV was lighter, this one had pretty good questions, including Harold Perrineau admitting he knows someone who played Hurley's numbers...

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Jose Lima

Jose Lima, a former MLB All-Star who once won 21 games in a season, is dead. ESPN first reported the news, and the Los Angeles Dodgers have since confirmed the report. Lima died of a massive heart attack in Los Angeles. He was 37 years old.

Lima spent 13 seasons in the big leagues for five different teams, including multiple stints with the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals.

After winning 21 games with the Houston Astros in 1999, Lima almost set a Major League record by allowing 48 home runs the following season. In 2005, he posted the worst ERA of all time for a pitcher with at least 30 starts.

Since 2008, Lima has pitched for professional baseball teams in South Korea, California and Canada.

The AP has more:

LOS ANGELES — Jose Lima, a right-hand pitcher who was a 20-game winner and an All-Star during a 13-year major league career, died Sunday, the Los Angeles Dodgers said. He was 37.

Lima, who won 13 games with the Dodgers in 2004, died of an apparent heart attack, according to the Aguilas Cibaenas, a winter ball team that Lima had played for in the Dominican Republic.

"Lima was an exceptional man. This is a great loss for Dominican baseball and the country," Llenas said.
Referring to his often colorful outings as "Lima Time," Lima posted his best season in 1999 when he was selected to the All-Star game as a Houston Astro. He went 21-10 in 35 starts with a 3.58 ERA for the NL Central champion Astros.

In 13 major league seasons, the native of the Dominican Republic was 89-102 with a 5.26 ERA. He hadn't pitched in the major leagues since a four-game stop with the New York Mets in 2006.

"He was a man full of life, without apparent physical problems and with many plans and projects on the agenda," his wife, Dorca Astacio, told ESPNdeportes.com.

Lima went 46-42 with the Astros between 1997-2001, and he was a 20-game winner and an All-Star with the Houston team.

With the Dodgers in 2004 and 2005, Lima had a record of 13-5, with a 4.07 ERA. In the 2004 National League Division Series, Lima pitched a 5-hit shutout against the St. Louis Cardinals in front of a sell-out crowd at Dodger Stadium. It was the Dodgers first postseason win since Game 5 of the 1988 World Series.

He also spent two stints with Detroit and Kansas City.

"This is a shock for us because Lima was a young man who seemed healthy and nobody imagined this," said Tomas Jimenez, manager of the Aguilas Cibaenas.

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Josh Holloway

They’re all dead.
The last image of Lost will be forever thus:
A close up of Jack Shepherd’s eye closing. Just as it opened in the very first episode, six seasons ago, back in 2004.
The series finale of Lost lasted two and a half hours Sunday night on ABC and CTV. We swear, it went by in a heartbeat.
It seemed for a while as if there were a set of commercials every five freaking’ minutes. But one of the most talked-about shows in the history of TV now is over, and we’re left with this:
They’re all dead.
The journey was fascinating. The ultimate conclusion was confusing, for sure. But we do know that everyone is dead, that much is beyond dispute.
A tad unimaginative in cold black and white, don’t you think? But the path there was gripping.
Jack (Matthew Fox) was told near the end in the so-called alternate universe by his equally dead father Christian (John Terry), “Everything that has ever happened to you is real ... there is no ‘now’ here ... this is the place you all made together so you could find one another ... the most important part of your life was the time you spent (on the island) with these people (who are waiting for Jack in a church) ... you needed all of them and they needed you.”
Jack asked, “For what?”
“To remember and let go.”
Just like fans of Lost will have to do now.
Events in the two lost worlds from the final season - the world of the island and the alternate universe on the mainland - edged toward their ultimate melding.
More and more of the alternate-universe people started to have memories of the island, and old friends popped up left, right and centre. We admit, we teared up a little when Charlie (Dominic Monaghan) and Claire (Emilie de Ravine) remembered each other, right after Claire had a baby (yes, again). Same thing when Sawyer (Josh Holloway) and Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell) remembered each other, minus the baby.
On the island, Jack - the new official protector of the place - stared down the bad guy - the Smoke Monster/Man in Black, inhabiting Locke’s body (Terry O’Quinn). Locke gave Jack a verbal shot, calling him “a bit of an obvious choice.” That clearly was some self-deprecating humors from the creators of the show.
Locke sought to destroy the island. Jack sought to destroy Locke. But they both knew Desmond (Henry Ian Carsick) was key, so they lowered him into the underground cave with the flowing water and the bright yellow light.
The ultimate source of that light looked a little like a hot tub in a cheesy Las Vegas theme hotel, didn’t it? Be that as it may, Desmond mucked it up and we waited to see what the consequences would be.
Locke - now physically vulnerable - and Jack ran at each other on the cliff, Kung Fu-style. Locke stabbed Jack in the gut, but Kate (Evangeline Lilly) shot Locke in the back. Jack kicked Locke off the cliff, killing him, but not before Locke said, “You’re too late.”
The island seemed to be destroying itself.
Jack realized he had to turn back on whatever it was that Desmond turned off. Ben (Michael Emerson) and Hurley (Jorge Garcia) decided to go with Jack.
Jack and Kate had their moment on the cliff, though, swapping declarations of love. Jack needed to sacrifice himself to turn the light back on, leaving Hurley to be the new Jack, who was the new Jacob. Are you following this?
In the alternate universe, Jack was the last one to come around. It all comes back to his father’s funeral. He touches his father’s coffin and finally remembers everything.
Including the fact that he died, too.

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Bob Newhart

It's the 20th anniversary of "The Last Newhart." You know the episode where the entire Newhart series turns out to be (SPOILER ALERT) Bob Hartley's surreal Japanese-food-induced dream.
It was brilliant and truly set the bar for finales. But why did the twist in this finale work so well?
When St. elsewhere surprised its audience by revealing that the series was the product of an autistic boy's imagination, it got mixed reviews. And the Dallas "it-was-all-a-dream" twist is barely worth a mention - it "only" invalidated a season.
My theory is simple: the Bob Newhart brand. Bob, who is celebrating his 50th year in show business (the Television Academy is hosting an event on June 1 to commemorate the occasion), played essentially the same character in both shows. His stock-in-trade has been to function as the centered everyman, a master of understatement, responding to the insanity around him. Bob Hartley and Dick Loudon were soul mates in that department and it wasn't a great leap to see one character waking up in the other's bed.
Unlike today's media-saturated landscape, when The Bob Newhart Show originally aired on CBS, there were just three networks in the game and the show aired in arguably the best Saturday night lineup ever. There's a good chance that most of America had some familiarity with Bob and Emily - at least enough to be in on the joke. The collective gasp in the studio as the scene opened onto that 1970s Chicago bedroom set, spread to home audiences and instantly became a pop culture touchstone.
In her Archive of American Television interview, Suzanne Pleshette detailed the cloak-and-dagger secrecy involved in reprising her role as Emily Hartley. "We had a code name when I would call them back so it wouldn't be me. They wrote a fake ending where Bob goes up to heaven... They built a set in secret. They did not tell the cast until 20 minutes before we did it and they hid me in a trailer for 6 hours. With no phone. You don't do that to a woman like me. No shopping, no phone. What are you, kidding?"
Interestingly, the episode didn't win the Emmy that year, and I have a theory about that, too. Do you remember what happened before Bob flipped the light on in that final scene? Didn't think so. That scene, with some tweaking, could have capped almost any episode, and we'd still be celebrating it today.

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Cm Punk Bald

One of the big stories coming out of Sunday night's WWE Over the Limit Pay-Per-View results involves the Rey Mysterio vs CM Punk match. This match, known as the "SES Pledge vs Hair match" carried unique stipulations for both wrestlers involved. It would either result in Rey Mysterio becoming forced to join the Straight Edge Society, or the WWE Universe would see CM Punk bald after he got his head shaved by Mysterio.

Over the Limit full results!

So who won it? Rey Mysterio was tonight's big winner at Over the Limit, although he really had to fight to shave off Punk's hair. He had some help though. Luckily, Serena and Luke Gallows were banned from ringside for the match. Rey and Punk each put up a fight, but in the end Mysterio took it. After Rey won the match with a unique pinfall, that mysterious hooded figure came out once again to attack Rey. Luke Gallows and Serena also showed up to try to handcuff Rey to the ropes.

Coming to Mysterio's rescue was the Big Red Monster, Kane. Kane dispatched of the foes in the ring, before chokeslamming CM Punk down. From there, Rey handcuffed Punk to the ropes and shaved off his symbol of purity. That's right fans finally got to see CM Punk bald! Rey even produced a mirror so Punk could see himself minus the hair. After the celebration and the haircut, Punk's SES friends, Serena and the mystery man gave him a towel to hide himself with.

WWE.com has pictures from the Rey Mysterio vs CM Punk match, but have not revealed a photo of CM Punk bald. We'll have to wait until Smackdown to see that.

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Brandy Car Accident Photos

Brandy and Lorenzo Sereno were dropping off their baby boy at grandma's in Alum Rock on Saturday evening hoping to catch the remake of "Nightmare on Elm Street."

But in a real-life nightmare, a suspected drunken driver — whose brother later told police had downed "20 Tecates" beforehand — caused a chain-reaction accident that sent cars plowing into the Serenos and three children playing in the front yard. All five were injured, two of the children seriously.

"Everyone was screaming and crying. Everyone called 911," Brandy Sereno told the Mercury News on Tuesday.

Sereno was pinned between the driver's white Plymouth minivan and her Expedition. Her husband, Lorenzo Sereno, who works in law enforcement, rushed to rescue his wife.

"My father-in-law, a neighbor and my husband pulled me up by my armpits to get me out from being pinned against my car by the van," Brandy Sereno said.

The Serenos suffered minor injuries, and their 10-month-old son, Lorenzo Jr., was unharmed in his car seat.

San Jose police arrested 28-year-old Rholdan Cabana, who lives a mile away on Wonderama Drive, on felony drunken-driving charges and one misdemeanor count for driving with a suspended license. His brother, who was in the van, told police he thought the 135-pound Cabana had drunk 20 Tecate beers at a party earlier that day.

Police reports show that Cabana tried to run away, but the 20 or so neighbors wouldn't let him go.

Cabana's blood alcohol level was more than the legal limit of 0.08, records show, but the exact level wasn't made public.

Lorenzo Sereno's two young relatives and a neighbor's son were more seriously injured. They had been playing in the yard of Lorenzo Sereno's parents' house on Farringdon Drive when the Serenos arrived about 6 p.m.

His 4-year-old sister, Lila Bruno, suffered the most serious injury — a fractured skull. She underwent brain surgery and was transferred Tuesday from Valley Medical Center to Children's Hospital in Oakland.

"The doctors had to clean her brain from dirt," Brandy Sereno said. "They're not sure how half of her brain will recover."

Christopher Ramirez, a 10-year-old neighbor, remains at Valley Medical Center with a skull fracture, a broken clavicle, a major rip to his left ear that requires surgery and cuts all over his face and body. Sereno's 6-year-old cousin, Leslie Manzano, was released from the hospital with some leg bruises.

When Lorenzo went up to the van to confront driver, the driver couldn't open his eyes and said, "Yeah man, I'm drunk. I'm drunk," according to a police report.

Cabana has no prior criminal history in Santa Clara County. But he was convicted three times since 2007 for minor traffic violations, such as not obeying signals and once, driving with either marijuana or an open container in his car, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles. He is scheduled to be arraigned today.

Calls to his parents' home were not immediately returned. He is in jail, and the number he provided police was not in service.

A police report says Cabana was driving at a "high rate of speed" when his minivan hit a black Chevy, which careened into a chain-link fence. The Chevy also struck Lila and the 6-year-old cousin. Cabana's van kept going, sideswiping a green Mercury Grand Marquis and a silver Ford Expedition, both parked on the street. And finally, it careened into Christopher.

The Serenos are thankful that their baby wasn't hurt. "It's really just a miracle," said Brandy Sereno, a student at San Jose City College who hopes to major in psychology.

The Serenos are praying for the two remaining hospitalized children to recover. They're trying not to be consumed by anger or grief but to turn the situation into something positive.

"My husband and I want to help out more in our community," Brandy Sereno said. "We put up fliers in the neighborhood saying we want speed bumps, or a sign that says, 'Kids at Play.' I made a call about joining MADD, too."

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Lost Forums

Tonight sees the finale of one of the highest rated shows on TV: Lost. The series surely owes some of its success to the web — but tonight Lost fans may have no choice but to log off completely.

Is this a mixed blessing provided by the web? While watching and commenting upon TV shows is easier than ever, unwanted information — the dreaded Lost spoiler — also zooms around the network at the speed of light.
Lost Online: On-Demand Creates Choice
The web has provided Lost aficionados with a wealth of options for consuming and connecting around each episode. Lost was among the very first series available on iTunes, giving the option to watch on-demand on your computer, iPod or iPhone. What’s more, these episodes are without commercial interruption, giving you the option to watch (or DVR) the TV version for free, or pay for a better experience.

In 2006, meanwhile, ABC tested a model whereby Lost was available free online with ads — a risky move considering that Internet (Internet) advertising typically yields lower rates than TV. At the time of writing, seasons 1-6 are available in HD, all for free (with ads) on the ABC website.

Unsurprisingly, the move proved popular: in late 2008 Nielsen named Lost the most popular TV show online. And don’t forget that in 2009, Lost also came to Hulu (Hulu), providing an even better user experience and yet more choice.

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Lost Twitter

While people on Twitter battle each other, Jack and Smokey-Locke style, over whether tonight's Lost finale was satisfying or a huge stinking disappointment, we'd just like to say that we were totally delighted by Target's Lost-themed ads for smoke detectors, barbecue sauce, and computer keyboards. Can we have more of these, please? How about one for Dramamine showing the crash of Flight 815? Or one for window guards with Locke being pushed out that high-rise his dad? We'll have lots more coverage of the finale in the morning, but for now, enjoy these commercials.

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