Did we just watch that?

Wow.

That was great television.

Here's part 1 of the interview.
Part 2 & 3 plus the outtakes are on the jump.

Monkey News!

Busy week in the monkey world...

In Thailand, a fascist prick named Leilit Janchoom had a monkey slave named Brother Kwan. Life was hard for Brother Kwan. All day, and without proper financial/banana compensation, the poor little guy was forced to shimmy up trees and fetch coconuts. Slave-driving Janchoom then sold the coconuts on the street.

If Brother Kwan refused to work, he got a beating. I think the monkey was strapped to a tree and whipped or something.

Enough was enough. Brother Kwan saw an opening and freedom. He took one of the freshly picked coconuts, took careful aim, and beaned his master right on the, uh, coconut. Killed the bastard. Dead. Deceased. Janchoom is now an ex-monkey slave owner.

Brother Kwan is free. Justice, baby.

I sense a monkey uprising is coming. Brother Kwan is inspiring the oppressed simians.

Organ grinders, you've been warned...

Have things gotten so bad that a country needs to promote its "cute culture" as a tourist attraction?

Or is this just a novel PR exercise exploiting a long-running, beloved craze?

Actually, it's a way for a country to gain "soft power" and stay relevant in a world where their rivals have the advantage economically and militarily.

Yes, it's true - Japan's new Ambassadors of Cute are mainly here to raise Japans profile and combat the threat of China.

These 3 ladies represent an effort to get the world to notice and love Japanese culture. By embracing Kawaii, or cute culture, we then will help Japan gain power in a world which is being increasingly dominated by their neighbors, China.

So take that mainland communists with your economic might and Jackie Chan martial arts! It's Hello Kitty to the rescue - cuteness beats bullets!

Japan's new Ambassadors of Cute are inspired by "anime" films and "manga" cartoon books.

Shizuka Fujioka dresses as a schoolgirl, Misako Aoki, a Victorian doll in voluminous frilly skirts and Yu Kimura is a singer dressed in a polka dot shirt with a bunny print, offset by bouffant back-combed hair. Her look has made her "a fashion leader in Tokyo teens' favorite haunt, Harajuku."

In a related note, the Chinese companies that make the anime figurines, DVDs and clothing are hoping this news makes for a banner sales year.

You can explore more Cuteness here.

found via Reuters

For one thing, this economic decline does not need the next few weeks of zero-to-no office production. But it's March Madness, and you can't be expected to create results, while watching Duke get spanked by some lower-ranked team. Honestly, I think we could lose a few more points on the Dow just to see some great moments like that in March.

The Amphibious Sports Duo has put together a list (with video and commentary) of the Top Ten WTF NCAA Tournament Moments.

I, for one, welcome our new monkey overlords. It should come as no surprise with the years of mis-treatment we've given these creatures (for reference, please watch Monkey Trouble or Dunston Checks In), that monkeys would soon revolt. Hell, I'd be pissed too if I had to co-star in a Matt LeBlanc vehicle. But the revolution, which looks like it's starting in Connecticut of all places, has taken an interesting turn. According to this article from the BBC, Monkeys are now teaching their young to floss ... with human hair. So it's true, they see us as no more than targets for flung poo, and producers of pop-corn dislodgers.

Personally, I've never trusted them. But the second Johnson & Johnson comes out with banana flavored dental floss, I'm moving to my underground bunker.

I hesitated before posting this because some may be getting tired of the bickering (see round one and round two), but this is damn funny. Jim Cramer is scheduled to appear on The Daily Show tonight. Pass the popcorn, please.

This puppy is making the rounds pretty quick on the world wide interwebs. That's "Mad Men's" Jon Hamm smacking a solid double up the line as the greatest criminal mastermind in Metropolis. If you are a Superman fan, as most of the YBNBY staff is, it's worth a look.

As the interview goes off track, Ricky talks to Elmo about some stuff Elmo isn't used to talking about.
We're all having a laugh now.

Yep, it's pretty much exactly what the headline says. Poor guy.

You think that noise is real or what?