Last year, during the SOTU, we spent all night live blogging the inappropriate arrest of Cindy Sheehan for wearing a T-shirt to the State of the Union address. And, naturally, the misreporting of it by CNN, AP et al. We're hoping for a less eventful SOTU tonight, personally, but lord only knows what could happen. If it does, we'll be here.

But so will you. So, to that end, consider this a SOTU Open Thread. Have at it!

To get you warmed up, if you need it, see the rather hysterical parody SOTU at right and the quite amusing Democratic response that follows. We're sure neither will be anything at all like the actual versions. (Hat-tip Atrios for the vid.)

For your more serious types, RAW STORY has advance excerpts from the speech right here and Webb's response right here.

And if you're wondering what came of our call for Sen. Jim Webb to be allowed to give his Democratic Party Response to the full joint session of Congress just after Bush, here's the final word from Speaker Pelosi's office on it.

Oh...and if you're interested, I was on San Antonio's KTSA with Chris Duel this afternoon discussing it (and delighting everyone in Texas by calling George W. Bush a criminal!) That radio appearance is right here [MP3, appx. 15 mins]

See you in Comments (unless events warrant an update here)...

The first of my weekly appearances on the Peter B. Collins Show for 2007 --- which I am now officially dubbing "The Year of Accountability." We covered quite a bit of ground, hit a bunch of recent stories, had some great calls, broke some news here and there (if you pay close attention), and had a number of good laughs. Listen up as you like...

-- Brad on The PBC Show, 1/5/07 [MP3, about an hour w/ commercials]

During our travels last summer, one of our stops was in St. Paul, Minnesota (lovely city, btw, first time there!), where I had been invited to be a panelist on PBS's Mental Engineering program. The show takes an amusing look at four different TV commercials each week, and then criticizes the hell out of them. It was a nice change of pace. Bill Moyers says the show is "the most interesting weekly half hour of social commentary and criticism on television." On the other hand, New York Times calls it "brilliant". So proceed at your own risk.

When the host/producer John Forde found out who my longtime companion is (actress Desi Doyen, who had actually been featured in one of the commercials they'd critiqued from the Super Bowl), he was thrilled to invite her onto the show as a panelist as well. She's the gorgeous one sitting to my left. Also filling out the panel was gorgeous comedian Tom Rhodes and gorgeous media professor Renee Hobbs. It was a hoot.

The first episode we shot last Summer begins airing this Sunday on PBS (check listings for local air dates and times). The second episode will begin airing next Sunday.

For your dancing pleasure, here's a quick video clip of one of the segments --- in which we tear apart one of Chrysler's bizarre "Doctor Z" spots --- just to give you a taste...

A li'l bit of Sunday morning radio. Me with the always delightful Christine Craft of Sacramento's 1240am Talk City sitting in over at San Francisco's (and Oakland's and San Jose's and elsewhere's) big old KGO 810am. Talking Election Integrity with a loads of good callers incoming. Unfortunately, none of them called me a whacko, tinfoil hat-wearing conspiracy theorist no matter how hard I tried. Funny, but where I almost always used to get such callers, we don't seem to hear from them much (if ever) anymore. Go figure.

The appearance is just 34 minutes --- after I removed the commercials from the hour long segment --- of Sunday morning Braditude for your listening pleasure...

-- Brad with Christine Craft on KGO, 12/10/06 [MP3]

I appeared on the "Week in Review" program, hosted by Bob Jimenez, a week or two ago out here in Los Angeles to discuss fallout from the 2006 Election Meltdown. The show was taped on November 17th and aired the following week. Thanks to Alan Breslauer, the video is now finally available below here at The BRAD BLOG.

Discussion included problems in California from Riverside to Monterey, Sequoia's yellow button, Diebold's sleepovers in San Diego, lack of paper ballots and voters turned away without being allowed to vote by the thousands around the country, Sarasota's mess, the failures of Bruce McPherson, Michael Haas, and other lousy elections officials, the need for reform, the mainstream corporate media's dismal failure, and more.

It's about 15 minutes of mind-blowing information, crackling wit, rapier-like rejoinders to the skeptics on the 5-person panel program, and generally brilliant repartee from yours truly...Well, it's about 15 minutes anyway.

On a side note, the show airs on the Time-Warner Channel out here since they swallowed up Adelphia over the summer. Though the public-affairs program has been running for nearly 20 years in LA, it looks like T-W is about to stop airing it all together. A great pity, that. Yet another casualty of unchecked mass media consolidation.

-- Streaming Flash version...

Got kids from 2 to 8 years old? Considering buying them this swell new Telestory Console w/ Spongebob Squarepants Story Cartridge which plugs into your TV and either reads to them, or allows them to read to themselves!

Is this a bald-faced advertisement smack dab in the middle of The BRAD BLOG? Only sort of...

I'm the voice reading the story and performing all of the character voices on the Spongebob story cartridges. While I don't make money specifically from your purchase of this item --- though if you use a link in this article, I get a few cents from Amazon --- if the Telestory line is successful, perhaps I'll be hired to do the voice-overs for more story cartridges in the future, in which case, I would make some money from it. And I could use it!

Cartridges also available (though not featuring me) for Dora the Explorer, Cinderella, Lion King, Winnie the Pooh, and Power Rangers. Click here to see all the Telestory products at once.

Got no kids or nieces or nephews or neighbors to buy Telestory for, but want to support The BRAD BLOG anyway? No problem, you can always send a donation right here! We'll take that too! (Better yet, start a subscription to The BRAD BLOG for any amount you like! See the blue box on the right side of every page to sign up! For all of those who once requested such a feature, I've only had a few sign-ups. So please remember us on your list of Holiday Shopping!)

Here endeth our shameless plea for today...

Tired of reading me whine about problems with our crumbling electoral system? Now you can watch me whine about them instead.

As if it's not enough I've had to become a spokesman, a journalist, a broadcaster, an investigator, an advocate, a political consultant over these last two years or so..on the Saturday before the election, I was asked to become a Standup Comedian...of a sort.

Click the photo for a quick 4 and a half minute video of an onstage appearance at the premiere of Electric City: A Political Comedy Special, in which I was shanghaied into appearing with a bunch of actual comics (such as Marc Maron, John Fugelsang, Rick Overton, etc.) on the Saturday night before the election.

As I was exhausted at that point, I'm glad the bit was caught on video tape. Otherwise, for the life of me, I'd not have been able to tell you a thing I spoke about that night. The week(s) before the election are all a blur to me right now.

The gig was smartly hosted by Cenk Uygur and Ben Mankiewicz of The Young Turks. A two-minute trailer (in which I also appear briefly) for the entire evening is posted below as well...

After our joint 9-hour marathon broadcast on Election Night (had some great guests and interviews that night, hope to get all of the hours logged up and online for the historical archives soon), the mighty Peter B. Collins and I wrapped up the week's events during my normal weekly Friday appearance yesterday --- which included lots of great phone calls as well. Here's the audio for your weekend listening pleasure...

-- Brad on Peter B. Collins Show, 11/10/06 [MP3, 1 hour]

After co-anchoring last night's 9-hour Velvet Revolution Election Strike Force radio marathon spectacular until the wee hours, we were still more than happy to wake up and speak to both Stephanie Miller and then Thom Hartmann this morning...

-- Brad on Stephanie Miller Show, 11/8/06 [MP3, 9 minutes]

-- Brad on Thom Hartmann Program, 11/8/06 [MP3, 8 minutes]

UPDATE 4:57pm PT: And here's another from this afternoon with Chris Duel on KTSA News-Talk 550 AM...

-- Brad on Chris Duel Show, 11/8/06 [MP3, 11 minutes]

Continuing the previous thread... which includes more details on the Election Integrity Broadcast Marathon with Peter B. Collins and Brad Friedman (listen up right here!)

Everyone, please start commenting on this thread now. We want to hear from our dial-up friends, and long threads knock them out of the conversation.

UPDATE FROM BRAD: Feel free to call in as well at 888-573-8372 and let us know how we're doing! Thanks Kira and 99 for doing a beautiful job here! Jim Cirile to blog a fresh Clint Curtis item shortly I'm told!

Now broadcasting coast-to-coast! Click right here to listen on the net!

Chat, chat, chat away with your hosts Agent 99 and Kira! Thanks guys! I'll try to keep my eyes on this thread!

Expected guests to include Greg Palast (on now), John Gideon, Clint Curtis, DeForest Soaries, Bev Harris, Mike Malloy, The Young Turks, Steve Young, Rebecca Abrahams, and many many more!

Plus your calls! Call us at 1-888-5-PeterB (1-888-573-8372).

All with your hosts Peter B. Collins and Brad Friedman of BradBlog.com all night long until at least Midnight PT (3am ET).

Thanks to RAW STORY for helping support this special RAW RADIO Event! And to the good folks at WhiteRoseSociety.org who are streaming us, along with KPFTx.org (and more that we'll add here soon!)

{PLEASE MOVE TO NEW COMMENT THREAD NOW EVERYONE... --99}

Heading over to KTLK am1150, Los Angeles' Progressive Talk, Air America affiliate to co-host today on the Bree Walker Show from 2p-4p PT (5p-7p ET).

We've got a huge guest line-up for the two hour show, including SPENCER OVERTON of Stealing Democracy, REBECCA ABRAHAMS and STEPHEN SPOONAMORE on the secret MD Diebold SAIC Report, TOM COURBAT and RON WATT on Sequoia's "Vote As Much as You Want" Yellow Button, John Gideon of VotersUnite.org and much much more!

Listen up online here!...

We'll be the media on Election Night, reporting the meltdowns with the same kind of attention everyone else will devote to the "horse race" (which we'll cover as well). From 3pm PT to 1am or as events warrant. To be carried on multiple air affiliates and Internet streams. All invited to carry broadcast for free! More details to come as I can keep up. Please spread the word and ask your local station to carry the historic broadcast! Details for now right here...

UPDATE: Some of our air affiliates on board so far (we welcome all who are interested to carry all or any part of the broadcast, see link above for details) include: KRXA in Monterey, KSAC in Sacramento, KGOE in Eureka, KUDO in Anchorage with more hopefully coming soon!

FURTHER UPDATE: Brad and Peter preview the broadcast on last Friday's Peter B. Collins Show! Listen here... [5 minutes, MP3].

And speaking of Velvet Revolution's Election Protection Strike Force, we've just upped the bounty for E-Vote fraudsters to $500k. Pass that around too. Along with the 888-VOTE-TIP hotline to support it.

Carter Evans, of GoTVNetworks.com, a cell phone video content provider, has put together a very good and incisive series of news reports on America's E-Voting Meltdown. You'll see some familiar faces --- ours included --- in his four part series of short reports. In Part I, posted below, you'll also see Diebold whistleblower Chris Hood (a long time source of The BRAD BLOG's) for the first time on camera. He's tremendous.

Evans promises an interesting run-in with voting officials down in Florida in upcoming reports. Here's Part I of his report (about 3.5 minutes)...

-- Streaming Flash version...

UPDATE: GoTV now has all 4 parts up. Good, quick, easily digestible stuff. All segments now viewable right here.

Heading over to the studio to Guest Host for Jerry Quickly on KPFK 90.7 FM (Los Angeles' Pacifica station). Got a great guest lineup to jam into the one hour Bradcast!

We'll have ROB COHEN, one of the filmmakers of Hacking Democracy, just minutes before tonight's premiere on HBO at 9pm ET (see my review at ComputerWorld, if you're inclined). SHERI MYERS, a Los Angeles Election Integrity activist and creator of the CHEATED! comic-book, which tells the story of what happened in Ohio in 2004 in a way that even George W. Bush can understand. And attorney KEN SIMPKINS who recently filed a lawsuit against San Diego County Registrar Mikel Haas concerning Diebold "sleepovers", emergency paper ballots and more. We'll have some fresh breaking news on that case!

You can call in (I think) as well as tune in online to listen!...

UPDATE 11:36pm PT: Was a good show, I think. Audio of the complete 1hr show now here [MP3]. Enjoy!