Yom Kippur, the Jewish holiday marking the end of the High Holy Days and a Day of Atonement, begins at sundown with the Kol Nidre service.

You can watch a live service online at 6:00 pm ET. You can even download the prayer book here to follow along. The service will be conducted by Rabbi Naomi Levy. It is expected to reach 200,000 worshippers around the world.

The live service will emanate from Brentwood Presbyterian Church and will be transmitted via the broadband channel of the Jewish Television Network. The service will also be available subsequently on demand.

After four hours at the jail today, I'm ready for some TV. There's The Biggest Loser, Part II of Dancing With the Stars and The Good Wife.

The best I think will be The Biggest Loser. What are you watching?

If you'd rather talk about something else, go right ahead.

Dancing With the Stars pro Cheryl Burk has her work cut out for her this season with former House Speaker Tom DeLay, but his appearance last night was fun to watch and I give him props for trying to loosen up. The judges didn't know what to make of him. The first elimination is tomorrow night.

Scarecrow writes about the JournOList campaign against Howard Dean and the public option:

Beltway reporter Ron Brownstein [. . .] tweet[ed] a gratuitous insult about Howard Dean. [. . . ]But Brownstein isn't the only guy who got the memo to denigrate Dean because he has the temerity to keep fighting for the public option when the White House would rather Democrats stop demanding something the White House is willing to give up. The New Republic's Jonathan Chait piles on his own criticism of Dean's advocacy, but gets his history wrong. In an article with the lead in, How Liberal Despair is Hurting Health Care Reform, TNR's Jonathan Chait lectures us on the need to take what we've been offered now and build on it later [. . .] Chait's own gratuitous slam at Dean is targeted at the "liberal fixation" on the public plan [. . .]

[More...]

David Letterman's show is getting more political. President Obama is the only guest tonight. Tomorrow night, Bill Clinton will be on.

Obama has a few jokes tonight. When Letterman asks him about Jimmy Carter's statement that racism is behind many of the attacks on him, Obama responds, "It's important to realize that I was actually black before the election."

On the serious side, Obama talks health care and war -- again. This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

The Beltway bloggers and pundits advocating for BaucusCare are having a hard time with this one:

In the most contentious exchange of President Barack Obama’s marathon of five Sunday shows, he said it is “not true” that a requirement for individuals to get health insurance under a key reform plan now being debated amounts to a tax increase. But he could look it up — in the bill. Page 29, sentence one of the bill introduced by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont) says: “The consequence for not maintaining insurance would be an excise tax.”

In contortions that would make a Bush apologist proud, the Beltway bloggers and pundits have tried to turn reality into well, their own myth. It won't work. And it is embarrassing. When Politico can make you look silly, you may want to reconsider your tactics.

Speaking for me only

digby thinks Howard Dean is where the attacks will end:

[P]rivileged village insider Ron Brownstein [. . .] being a snotty little twit: "Howard Dean is becoming living proof that health care reform should offer a universal entitlement to Valium."

It won't be just Howard Dean and it was not just Ron Brownstein. I guess digby missed Ezra Klein's series of criticisms of Dean. But noting that would violate the logrolling rule.

Speaking for me only

Mary Travers, 72, of Peter, Paul and Mary, passed away today.

President Obama will do the "full Ginsburg" (coined by Tweety in honor of Monica Lewinsky's attorney William Ginsburg who did all the morning talk shows in one morning during the period of insanity that was that "scandal") of the Sunday talk shows -- except for Fox. Fox don't like it:

FNC's Neil Cavuto took a satirical look at the White House passing on FOX as part of Pres. Obama's Sunday show rounds. "Fox ain't on the list," said Cavuto, adding, "I'm here to tell you, Mr. President, it's ok. I'm ok. But this ain't sitting well with other broadcasters you are leaving out. You didn't hear it from me, Mr. President, but I'm told the folks at ESPN are furious. ESPN-2, too, and the the Speed Channel..."

In related news, the President will be the only guest on David Letterman Monday night. Jay Leno counter programs with Rush Limbaugh on Thursday the 24th. Since I never watched Leno ever, no skin off my nose.

Speaking for me only

I got nuthin today. But here are some good conversation starters - who do you read in the Media? Politics, sports, news, anything?

What do you watch? Sitcoms? Crimes shows? Political shows? Sports? Family Guy reruns?

Finally, what do you listen to?

Update - I just read this:

[University of Tennessee football coach Lane] Kiffin's insufferable nature at least has a purpose. Kiffin is the Sarah Palin of college football. He'll say anything to fire up his base. He does this with a wink, knowing it'll draw attention to the Volunteers.

That from a guy defending Kiffin. Oh boy.

Dirty dancing final Patrick Swayze

Patrick Swayze lost his battle with pancreatic cancer today. I'll always remember him for Dirty Dancing and Roadhouse, both of which I watched over and over. Another one of my favorites was Point Break. He was a great romantic lead. HuffPo has more videos here.

R.I.P. Patrick, we've lost you far too early.

Jay Leno comes to primetime tonight -- and every weekday night, at 10 pm ET, 9 pm MT. The showpage is here. You can watch backstage setting up on the live webcam now.

The show is said to be different than the Tonight Show in that it will focus more on comedy.

Music tonight will be by Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kanye West. Kanye will also do his big mea culpa for his obnoxious behavior to Taylor Swift last night during the MTV Awards.

Tonight's big guest: Jerry Seinfeld. Tomorrow, Tom Cruise, Wedsnesday will be Robin Williams and Miley Cyrus, and Thursday, Halle Berry and for music, Eric Clapton and Bruce Hornsby.

Break a leg, Jay. This is an open thread for all TV stuff. Updates below: