Connie Phillips makes the rounds at General Hospital — Breaking Up Is Not So Hard To Do and gets me all caught up on the drama and heartache. Forget what anyone else says, GH remains a cornerstone of daytime television and deserves far more attention than it gets.

From Film Editor Erin McMaster:

Writing a negative review is something that many people have difficulty with. Others, like El Bicho, are able to do so without being mean. He does a great job explaining why Alice's Restaurant just isn't a great film, and perhaps what might have made it better.

Jules Alder has a way with words. Hopefully The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is really as good as Jules' review paints it.

CULTURE

From Culture Editor Diana Hartman:

A timely and much needed focus on the worlds of artistic freedom and religious terrorism is brought to light in Art Exhibition in London Closed After Attack by Religious Extremists by Natalie Bennett.

From Editor Gordon Hauptfleisch:

Al Barger’s intriguing comparison of a trio of outspoken Country Smugsters and a renowned and still-dead comedic provocateur and prick prompted a modulated, intelligent discourse on the issues entailed, marshalling the discerning insights of detractors and defenders alike...ah, who am I trying to kid? The comparison in The Dixie Chicks as Andy Kaufman was as forced as hell but it was a lot of free-for-all fun and pissed off a lot of people. Any article that can incite diverse comments from both the “record sales always equals artistic integrity” crowd and the “Bush is Hitler” crackpots has my vote for Editors' Pick.

POLITICS

Congress Votes to Limit Hate Speech by Mark Adams
The title isn't entirely accurate, but the subject is important and it's a tidbit of news which many missed. Good to see we were on top of it on BC.

Al Gore and MySpace Ahead of the Curve Again by Eric Berlin
I may not like Al Gore all that much, but this is some interesting stuff nonetheless.

From Adjunct Editor El Bicho:

For Al Gore and MySpace Ahead of the Curve Again, I nominate Eric Berlin, Blogcritics' version of Sisyphus, whose idealism and continual struggle to have rational discussions about politics are regularly sabotaged by both sides of the aisle. Keep pushing that rock, EB. 

SPORTS

From Sports Editor Matthew T. Sussman:

Is Barbaro Being Saved by Love or Greed? by Purple Tigress
The outpouring of support for the Derby winning horse has been tremendous, but our violet feline cuts through the emotion and struck a chord with the truth. Why, she claims, does everyone care about this horse's life and not the thousands of others who went through the same fatal injury?