CJ’s Vita.mn Audition?

Perhaps there’s an opening at Vita.mn? Back in June, Star Tribune reader’s representative Kate Parry, responding to complaints about a story on outdoor sex that ran in its freestanding weekly, asked, “Does it really take a steady stream of crude sexual double-entendre to get young readers to pick up Vita.mn?” The same might be asked of the Mother Ship: Saturday’s Strib featured a bizarre column by gossip maven CJ. Fitting into the category we in the media business call “fifth-grade weiner jokes,” CJ told of banter between KARE newscasters following a story on Sen. Larry Craig. After another reporter re-enacted the motions that got Craig in trouble, reporter Mike Pomeranz joked about his “wide stance.” When asked if she had anything to add, anchor Diana Pierce replied, “Not going to touch it.” (Get it? “Touch it.”) Which set CJ up to refer to Pierce’s husband — Dennis Babcock — as a man “whose last name has never been so chuckle-inducing.” (Get it? “Bab”– yeah, you get it.)

Kersten on the “Silver Buckle Brigade”: Another Strib columnist getting ridicule is Katherine Kersten, who wrote recently about a “pinstripe brigade” of lawyers — “many from top-dollar law firms” (oh my!) — who plan to offer free legal representation to protesters at the Republican National Convention. Her piece generated 255 comments so far and seems to imply that “self-proclaimed rabble-rousers who are eager to flout the law” don’t deserve legal representation. The column inspired pseudonymous local author Pasquino to pen a parody. Framed as a recently unearthed Boston Gazette column written by a much younger Kersten in 1772, the piece tells of a “silver buckle brigade” who’ve signed on to “go to bat for any rebellious scoundrel arrested, whether it occurs at a tea party or some so-called ‘Massacre.’” Mimicking Kersten line for line, he writes, “A campaign is underway to ensure that protesters at the benevolent visit of the brave and dignified King’s Own Dragoons– to be held here in 1773 to coincide with the annual Tea Tax Conference– will get a warm Massachusetts welcome.” [Kersten cached]

35W for sale: As the Fair orders the removal of unapproved t-shirts being sold by local skate shop Third Lair (with proceeds benefiting victims of the 35W disaster, according to its owners), an entrepreneur on eBay is squatting on the internet domain 35WBridgeCollapse.com, which can be yours for $2,500. [eBay image]

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