From the live video stream on UStream.tv.

Could have been worse I guess…the stream could have been sponsored by “Tyler Perry’s Black Family Moves to the White House”

I sure hope no cute little white girls get abducted today or Nancy Grace won’t have anything to talk about tomorrow.  Why?  Because no one can report it, since President Obama’s first act was apparently to call off all other news for the entire day.  Think I’m lying?  Check the front page of STLToday.com.

I’ll wait.

See?  That’s all there is today.  

It gets worse though.  Not only can no other news get reported, but apparently the reporting that will be done today also needs to be shitty.  Check out this awesome reporting:

Police have estimated between 1 and 2 million people will attend today’s celebration.

Your best guess was within 1 million people?  Nice work.

If you want to attend an Inaugural Celebration you can find one…Any. Business. Anywhere.  …or Hulu.com, or UStream.tv or ESPN (for some reason).  

If you don’t want to attend an Inaugural Celebration, drink yourself into a 48 hour coma.

Crazy-ass Jeff Hackworth thinks so!  He wrote in to the Post Dispatch on Janruary 15th to complain after his eye-opening trip to our state’s capitol in Jefferson City:

I found parking [at the capitol building] to be inadequate and being taxed to park, parking meters, I found it as a determinant to people trying to access our government. I would like to see a law put in place that forbids the taxing, charging to park, on public street or public property of any government facility upon the two closest streets on each side around any government facility. This would aid in our elected officials to hear more from constituents when the constituents don’t have to pay a tax, a fee to be able to approach an elected officiator a public building. Because Jefferson City has decided to tax, parking meters, persons desiring to see the capitol or see their elected official.

…

It is like Jefferson City does not want to give people easy access to their government, with a parking tax, Jefferson City appears to be trying to discourage people from conversing with the elected officials or access to their state capitol.

You cracked the secret Jeff!  Since finding out this deep dark secret of our, and all the other, state governments I’m guessing Jeff is on the run “Da Vinic Code”-style from hooded albino Jeff City parking attendants.

What the hell was going on at F15teen this weekend?  STLDrunks.com has the photos above and plenty more, but I have no idea what the deal was.  At the surface, it seems like a regular bikini content, but some of these picture lead me to believe otherwise…

Was anyone there?

2009 is going to be the best!  I, like most of St. Louis, hate Charter with a passion.  Well, let me re-phrase.  I don’t hate them, its just that they treat their customers like shit, and I know they’ve done a little bit to help that recently, but the damage has been done and its too little too late.  I would love to like them, but it just doesn’t look like its going to happen…especially since they are this close to filing for bankruptcy!

The big wigs at Charter were due to pay $73.7 million dollars the other day for interest on some of their debt and they just didn’t.  I’m sure when they got called by the debtors itwent something like this:

Debtor: “Hey, we didn’t get the $73.7 million dollars you owe us.”

Charter: “What?!  Hmmm…we sent one of our service experts over to your office as we told you we would between 12 pm and 5 pm yesterday.  Were you not there?”

Debtor: “Um…yeah, we were here all day waiting for you.”

Charter: “It says here we tried to call you.”

Debtor: “No.  No one called.”

Charter: “Well I don’t know what to tell you…our records say that we contacted you and you did not respond. You didn’t leave at all?”

Debtor: “Well, I stepped outside for a smoke at one point, but someone should have been up there.”

Charter: “Yeah, thats when we stopped by.  You missed us.”

Debtor: “I didn’t even tell you what time I stepped out!”

Charter: “I’m sorry for  your inconvenience.   Would you like to make another appointment?”

Debtor: “Well, I really need that $73.7 million dollars, so yeah!”

Charter: “I have an opening in 2 weeks from Wednesday.”

Debtor: “What?!  2 weeks!  Thats insane!”

Charter: “Well, please be in your office, by your phone next time.  Is there anything else I can help you with today?”

We know how you feel…good luck Debtor!

For the full story, go to the article on Hollywood Reporter.com

According to StlMedia.net (who refuses to have proper blogging software and thus has no permalinks to correctly link to) and the New York Post, ClearChannel, the radio company that in St. Louis operates z107.7, 93.7 The Bull, Majic 104.9, KLOU 103.3 and 100.3 The Beat, is planning a large “reduction in force” which is the new cool executive way to say “lay offs.”  Doesn’t it sound much better?

From the New York Post:

According to three sources with knowledge of the plan, the restructuring will include layoffs across the company’s radio, outdoor advertising and international divisions as well as cuts to programming budgets and consolidation of back-office operations.

A precise headcount for the layoffs could not be obtained. Clear Channel has about 30,000 employees worldwide.

The company is also likely to move toward a “national programming” model that would require less local-level staffing, despite being criticized in the past for a similar action using centralized disc jockeys that made it appear as though they were broadcasting from local stations.

Sources said an initial round of layoffs is expected to commence next Tuesday – not coincidentally the same day President-elect Barack Obama is to be sworn into office. Clear Channel managers are hoping they can slip in the layoffs while the press is preoccupied with Inauguration Day festivities, sources said.

A Clear Channel spokeswoman declined to comment.

Once again, a bunch of old white guys trying to get away with something bad by using a black man a distraction. 

[Full Disclosure: CENSORED]