Watercooler Sensation

Read once for instant popularity

“Carne Asada Is Not A Crime”

• If you love tacos, this will come as good news: Los Angeles County is dropping its fight against the taco vendors. [NY Times]
• Back Story: LA passed a law which went into effect last may that ruled all taco truck operators must move their trucks every hour or face $1,000 fines and jail time.
• The county said it was a “quality-of-life issue.” Nearby (and more expensive) restaurant owners said the tasty and cheap fare from the trucks hurt their businesses.
• The truck vendors said they were targeted because most are immigrants.
• The people who loved the tacos from the vendors were unhappy because who doesn’t love affordable, delicious tacos?
• And in August, the LA Superior Court ruled the law was “too ambiguous to be enforceable.”
• Everyone since then has waited with bated breath to see if the city would fight the decision. Friday, we found out they’d drop it.
• Quote of the day: Phil Greenwald, attorney for the vendors: “After all, they’re not selling porn, they’re not selling drugs, all they’re selling is food. Carne asada is not a crime.”

If only all wars ended with everyone feasting on delicious tacos.

Inside “The Green Collar Economy” with author Van Jones

THE BOOK

• Van Jones, founder and president of Green for All, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, and board member at 1sky and the Apollo Alliance, just released a new book.
• Called “The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems,” the book will go on sale Tuesday, but you can get a sneak peak with today’s MicCheck.(psst! Buy the book at Amazon)
• The main point of the book? By building coalitions and moving from a society based on consumption to one based on sustainability and value, America can grow our economy, green our country, and solve the greatest issues of our time
• Don’t take our word for it— Al Gore, Thomas Friedman, Nancy Pelosi, Senator Tom Daschle, Ben Jealous (President of NAACP), Tavis Smiley, and Arianna Huffington have all praised the book.
• Not only that, MicCheck was able to get Van Jones into the studio for exclusive audio clips about his message and how to change policy to reflect the urgent priorities of America. Check it out!

THE AUDIO

• On “The Green Collar Economy":
  Please log in to download this clip.
• On U.S. standing in the world:
  Please log in to download this clip.
• A call for unity:
  Please log in to download this clip.
• Our moral imperative:
  Please log in to download this clip.
• Call for “all hands on deck":
  Please log in to download this clip.
• What readers should take away from the book:
  Please log in to download this clip.

Seriously, go check out this book— it combines a call for unity with a solution to both the economic and environmental crisis. What’s not to love?

Walking The Political Red Carpet In Hollywood

• As the presidential election nears, Hollywood is preparing for the run-off with a slew of political movies that hit many of the hot topics surrounding Washington. [Reuters]
• From gay rights to patriotism, if you’re a political junkie, here are a few movies you should keep on your bi-partisan radar.
• “W.”: As the Bush administration’s term comes to an end, Oliver Stone’s new film attempts to deconstruct Bush’s faith and marriage and the days leading up to the 2003 Iraq invasion.
  Please log in to download this clip.
• “An American Carol”: This satirical movie is a fictional version of left-wing populist Michael Moore who in the movie comes around to loving America just like Scrooge learns to love Christmas.
  Please log in to download this clip.
• “Religulous”: You know if it includes Bill Maher, it’s not only controversial, it’s humorous. In this film, Maher takes on the current state of world religion.
  Please log in to download this clip.
• “Slacker Uprising”: Moore’s new documentary was released for free on the internet a month ago and chronicles Moore’s speaking tours of college campuses during the 2004 election. Its Internet release came with a plea to young people to vote and “save this country from four more years of Republican rule.”
  Please log in to download this clip.
• “Milk”: Sean Penn plays California’s first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk, who was assassinated in 1978 when the gay rights movement was in its infancy.
  Please log in to download this clip.

If you can’t make it out to the movies, then just tune in to SNL and laugh your heart out.

By the Numbers

While you’re worrying about paying your mortgage, these authors are writing their way to the bank. Who said your English major wouldn’t pay off? It sure did for these most profitable authors, according to Forbes. Take a look at these numbers. [Perez Hilton]

$300 MILLION

The amount “Harry Potter” creator J.K. Rowling brought in between July 2007 and June 2008.

$50 MILLION

The amount James Patterson brought in between July 2007 and June 2008.

$45 MILLION

The amount Stephen King brought in between July 2007 and June 2008.

$35 MILLION

The amount Tom Clancy brought in between July 2007 and June 2008.

$30 MILLION

The amount Danielle Steele brought in between July 2007 and June 2008.

$25 MILLION

The amount John Grisham and Dean Koontz brought in between July 2007 and June 2008.

$20 MILLION

The amount Ken Follet brought in between July 2007 and June 2008.

$17 MILLION

The amount Janet Evanovich brought in between July 2007 and June 2008.

$16 MILLION

The amount Nicholas Sparks brought in between July 2007 and June 2008.

Celebrities: Unfiltered

“I love my country, but I believe that we are too quick to censor nudity. We seem okay with violence, but nudity we race to criticize and censor. I’m not at all ashamed or frightened about showing my body.”

—Eva Mendes on how she’s comfortable with nudity on screen. We’re sure every teenage boy is ‘comfortable’ with that too, Eva. [People]

Speed Round

PORN

You know you’ve made it big when porn stars are naming themselves after you. TMZ reports, “Hustler Video is shooting a porn with a look-alike titled “Nailin’ Paylin.” The spelling is sic and so is Hustler. You betcha!” [TMZ]

HITCHED

Shock Jock Howard Stern tied the knot Friday, getting hitched to his longtime girlfriend, Beth Ostrosky. [MSNBC]

JUST JAREDS

Are you hungry? Do you like free sandwiches? Is your name “Jared"? Then you’re in luck: in one of the wackier promotions we’ve heard lately, Dominos Pizza is promoting its new oven-baked sandwiches by giving them away, no charge, to people named “Jared.” Hey, pick one up for us, too, ok J? [EarthTimes]

CALLING INDIANA JONES!

How cool is this? New satellite technology was able to, in effect, peel away centuries of dirt and mud to reveal a hidden pyramid in Peru, near the Cahuachi desert. They believe it is an ancient, sacred site of the Nazca civilization who lived in the area until it was destroyed by a flood and an earthquake between 300 and 350 A.D. [MSNBC]

PARTON ME?

“I can relate to Sarah Palin. I always say we’re very much alike. Both small town girls ... and we both carry an AK-47."—-Dolly Parton on how she and Sarah Palin are just alike. [USA Today]

CRAZIEST HEADLINE

“Peanut Butter Attack! High school student charged with assault on severely allergic classmate.” [Perez Hilton]

HUMOR IS THE BEST MEDICINE

“I broke up with my boyfriend and two weeks later he was sent to prison for fraud. I mean, we’ve all been there, right ladies?"-Anne Hathaway’s opening line when she hosted Saturday Night Live, this past Saturday. [People]

$700 BILLION IS EQUAL TO....

Seven Apollo programs or 70 state-of-the-art atom-smashers. We wonder how many “Apollo 13″ movies that would be. [MSNBC]

WILL AND GRACE SPINOFF?

New reports claim that a spin-off is in the works for Will and Grace characters Karen and Jack (aka the only funny ones on the show). The show was originally supposed to launch several years ago but then Joey bombed and Megan Mullally got her own TV show. If a pilot episode is successful, Karen & Jack could be on the air in the U.S. next autumn. [ImNotObsessed]

BONUS QUOTE

What does Demi Levato have to say about a recent Miley video mocking her and Selena Gomez? “Um, I really don’t know Miley that well. We didn’t take offense or think it was a negative or a positive. It was just like, OK, cool, Hannah Montana knows who I am!’ She gave me advice on publicity and making it big, and she was like, ‘I hope you’re very successful.’” [Perez]

WHERE IS JANET?

Janet Jackson has canceled several more shows over the next week, but although some insiders claim she has vertigo, her spokesperson has yet to confirm what’s going on. Feel better! [Perez]

ELECTION FASHION

Before you head to the polls to vote, take a second to check what you’re wearing. Some counties and cities are prohibiting those in t-shirts promoting certain candidates, or buttons with candidate names on them, from entering polling places. Make sure you check in advance (or bring along an extra shirt). [CBS]

CRUSH

MicCheck hearts Michael Cera. Turns out, we’re not the only ones. Entertainment Weekly voted Michael the best actor under 30, and the New York Times deemed him “excellent.” With any luck, this means we’ll be seeing more of him soon! [WaPo]

DOG-TASTIC

The top grossing film at the box office this weekend was Beverley Hills Chihuahua, beating out Eagle Eye (with Shia LeBeouf) and Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (with Michael Certa). It grossed $29 million according to Nielson. [USAT]