BAGnewsNotes: To Your Health

The Point: Something new to read

TPMDC: Rubio used his GOP-issued credit card for groceries and car repairs

The Grey Matter: Facts are stupid things

Erik's Choice: Bob Dylan's 'Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues'

The Pump Handle: Sickened by Service

Get along home, Cindy.

Nick Reynolds, a founding member of the Kingston Trio who jump-started the revival folk scene of the late 1950s and paved the way for artists such as Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, has died. He was 75.

Another week, another guest host handling the blog round-up here at C&L. Good morning. I'm Lance Mannion and I have a blog. Don't we all?

Mine's called with wry cleverness Lance Mannion and I post about politics, movies, TV, books, and occasionally yard work and home repair. I'm also the television editor for the arts and culture blog newcritics. All our posts come with the James Wolcott Good Blogkeeping Seal of Approval. What this means for you is that since my focus isn't solely on politics, my linkages here won't do that either. For example, over at newcritics right now for your listening and dancing pleasure we have three dueling reviews of the new Bob Dylan fantasy biopic, I'm Not There.

"Dazzlingly fresh and original," says Jason Chervokas, "Makes me wonder what went wrong with movies over the past thirty years." The movie offers "20 REASONS TO BE STUCK INSIDE A MULTIPLEX WITH THE OVERPRICED POPCORN AGAIN," promises the Shamus. "All bizarre medicine show bread and circus with no real insight into Dylan’s connection to the past," grumps Tom Watson.

Meanwhile, on the political front. Julia, of Sisyphus Shrugged, made her debut at Firedoglake Friday with a long and thorough post detaling the weirdnesses, thuggery, shady dealings, and romantic longings of Rudy Giuliani's BFF and now secondary albatross around the neck, Bernie Kerik. Josh Marshall has some more details on Rudy's new and heavier albatross, the Shag Fund.

MediaBloodHound explains why Tom Brokaw is still the only one of the big three network anchors who doesn't understand how he and his colleagues failed us in the lead up to the invasion of Iraq: His "professionalism" gets in the way.

And Tom Tomorrow channels Bill O'Reilly's Advice for Young People.

That's all for now. Lots of good reading for a lazy Sunday afternoon. I'll be back tomorrow with a shorter introduction and links to shorter posts for your Monday morning drive time.

Send tips to me at lance at sign lancemannion bigolddot com.

Macon Telegraph:

James Brown, the dynamic, pompadoured "Godfather of Soul," whose rasping vocals and revolutionary rhythms made him a founder of rap, funk and disco as well, died Monday, his agent said. He was 73.

[..]Along with Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and a handful of others, he was one of the major musical influences of the past 50 years. At least one generation idolized him, and sometimes openly copied him. His rapid-footed dancing inspired Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson among others. Songs such as David Bowie's "Fame," Prince's "Kiss," George Clinton's "Atomic Dog" and Sly and the Family Stone's "Sing a Simple Song" were clearly based on Brown's rhythms and vocal style.

If Brown's claim to the invention of soul can be challenged by fans of Ray Charles and Sam Cooke, then his rights to the genres of rap, disco and funk are beyond question. He was to rhythm and dance music what Dylan was to lyrics: the unchallenged popular innovator.

"James presented obviously the best grooves," rapper Chuck D of Public Enemy once told The Associated Press. "To this day, there has been no one near as funky. No one's coming even close." Read on...