TV: Jimmy Kimmel Live, 4/21

Ostensibly directed by Quentin Tarantino. Cue the self-congratulatory jokes and cartoonish violence. The ending was weirdly unsettling: Tarantino clapping by himself onstage, surrounded by a dead audience. (Not that I’m reading anything into that.) In the midst of the mayhem, there was a striking cutaway to a camera placed behind Jimmy’s desk, revealing the enormous monitor that dominates his view of the audience. It was a shot I’d never seen before, one that both lays bare the mechanics of a talk show and points out how staid the format is. Maybe they should bring QT back. As always, you can count on the old pros to deliver the goods:

Jimmy: So what are you working on now?
Steven Wright: I’m making a documentary about Ken Burns.

Music: ‘We Built This City,’ Starship (1985)

Blender magazine has crowned this the worst song ever recorded. I don’t know where to begin picking that decision apart. There are far worthier candidates in their 10 worst list (‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy,’ Eddie Murphy’s legendary ‘Party All The Time’), which doesn’t even tap the Michael Bolton discography. Besides, a DARPA project recently proved scientifically that the worst song ever recorded is ‘Shiny Shiny’ by Hayzee Fantayzee. I don’t even think ‘City’ is the worst song recorded by Starship. That would be ‘Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now’ from the movie MANNEQUIN.

TV Commercial: California Tourism (Find Yourself Here)

This ad campaign has been brought back with new shots of Governor Schwarzenegger and his wife. I still say they should have gone with my slogan:

California. America’s Best-Kept Secret.