I'M LIKE A TRASHCAN, HOLDING ALL THE INFORMATION

It all began about 2 years ago. (Oy.)

I was taking a sitcom pilot workshop at Chicago’s famed iO Theater. A “pilot,” for those of you who aren’t up on show-bizzy lingo, is the first show of a TV series. It introduces the characters, sets up the situations to come, and gives a general feel for the style of the show. Several get made every year, but only a few make it into a prime-time lineup. Sadly, they’re usually more like “Yes, Dear” than “30 Rock,” but I digress.

Anyway, it’s a Saturday morning. I’m halfway out of it, sipping coffee and listening to my teacher, Michael McCarthy, discuss his experience writing pilots and the process that goes into them. An hour or so later, it’s time for a break.

“And when we get back, I want to hear your pilot ideas,” Michael says.

Shit. No one said anything about actually having to have an IDEA. Time to scramble.

Like they say, you write what you know. And here’s what I knew back in 2008:

• I didn’t like my newspaper job, but I needed the money.
• I had no idea what I would do if I lost the job.
• There was a good chance I wouldn’t even have a job soon. If you read the papers, you know what I’m talking about. (Then again, if more of you did read the papers, they wouldn’t be in such sorry shape. Just sayin’.)

It was absurd. I was pushing 40 and, like too many other folks, I was staring at a career reboot.

All that angst, however, is great raw material for comedy. Why not channel it into something funny? Or in my case, something approaching funny? (more…)

Seen in Lincoln Park. Whoever thought of this poster should win a Peabody Award.

"Sweet evil roams in the world. Should we eat him?"

Like most other parents, you probably have a teenager who’s nuts about singer John Ashcroft.

Heck, you probably have a few of his jams on your own iPod, too.

It’s understandable. As a vocalist, the former attorney general and senator combines the lyricism of Mos Def with the passion of Bruce Springsteen, whether it’s with his old group, The Singing Senators, or as a solo performer.

But is the ultra-Christian crooner really all that he appears to be?

I recently found this video, which uncovers Satanic lyrics when his smash hit “Let the Eagle Soar” is played backwards.

Is Ashcroft, in fact, an American Idol Worshiper? You be the judge.

Did you know that July is National Hotdog Month?

Yeah. I didn’t know either.

And as unaware Americans celebrate this special month at ballgames, church picnics and strip-club buffets, the good folks at PETA are making sure we all feel horrible about eating dogs made out of … well … dogs, probably.

A few weeks back, PETA sent two of Playboy’s most respected sex objects — Playmate of the Year Jayde Nicole (at right) and “Cyber Girl of the Year” Jo Garcia — to our nation’s capital, where the buxom pair handed out “veggie dogs” to leering lobbyists and horny congressional pages.

It’s not the first time that PETA has used hot hot hotties to push its pro-animal agenda. You might remember PETA’s banned Super Bowl ad, for instance.

Now we all like animals, and we all like pretty ladies. But come on, PETA: One of these things is not like the other. Even if you’re a 16-year-old hopped up on Cialis, nothing’s gonna kill that carnal excitement like a lecture on salads, fur coats and whaling.

PETA, put some pants on. You’re not sexy. Here’s why:

1. Brody’s girlfriend
For starters, no one can take your spokeswoman seriously: Jayde Nicole  insists that “The Hills” is real. Smart is sexy, Jayde (if that is your real name).

2. Ground Chuck — Upchucked
There’s nothing sexier than supermodels. And they actually DO eat meat.

(… right before they go to the bathroom and throw it all back up, but I digress …)

3. That’s not love in the air.
PETA has obviously never been in a bedroom with someone who ate a black bean burger seven hours earlier.

4. “She gotta pack much back.”
PETA says that, “Vegetarians are, on average, significantly fitter and trimmer than meat-eaters are.” Sir Mix-A-Lot, however, says “round and big” butts are more attractive. Who has the real sex-expert street cred here: An animal-advocacy group, or “Chief Boot Knocka”?

And last but not least …

5. The numbers don’t lie.

Porn is still a billion-dollar industry.

The slaughterhouse footage industry, on the other hand? Not so much.