Paul Harris Online

Congressional Perspective

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Harris) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:02:00 PDT

Kudos to Congressman Peter King (R-NY) for admonishing the media for spending so much time honoring Michael Jackson -- he uses the words "pervert" and "pedophile" -- instead of the public servants who deserve praise, from firefighters to cops to teachers to soldiers...

[thanks to Jackie Redmond for the link]

FT 24 -- The Main Event & Mike Sexton

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Harris) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:00:07 PDT

Tonight on my poker radio show, The Lumiere Place Final Table, we have first-person coverage of the Main Event of the 2009 World Series Of Poker in Las Vegas.

I'm not playing in the tournament, preferring to stick to the cash games, but Dennis Phillips and Joe "The Poker Coach" McGowan have both made it to Day Two with stories about their experiences (they're both doing updates from the tables on Twitter: here's Dennis, here's Joe, and I'm tweeting, too.).

We also got into an extended discussion with guest Mike Sexton (from the World Poker Tour) about yesterday's "sold out" controversy, which kept hundreds of players from entering the tournament. And you'll hear my interview with Congressman Barney Frank about the legislation he's proposed to make poker legal in all forms, online and off.

Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!

The Lumiere Place Final Table airs Tuesdays at 7pm CT on KFNS/St. Louis. If you've missed our previous shows, you can find the podcasts here.

World Series of Poker Controversy

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Harris) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:10:23 PDT

There was some controversy at the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event yesterday.
As in past years, Day One was stretched out over four days, with the organizers prepared for thousands of players (total attendance last year: 6,844), but not knowing in advance how many people would register for each day's noon start. On Friday, there were 1,100 players. On Saturday, the Fourth of July, only 800 showed up. On Sunday, they nearly had 2,000 entrants. On Monday, they "sold out" and closed registration at 2,700 by 8:30am -- and that's when the muck hit the fan.
Hundreds of players were shut out. As the number of discontented players grew, meetings were called behind closed doors to see if there was some way to accommodate more people. There was some precedent in this WSOP, with some 7 other events also selling out. But this was the big one, The Main Event, the most famous poker tournament in the world, which people travel from every continent to play. The complaints were in several different languages, but boiled down to a few basic questions:

Why don't you allow alternates, who get a seat when someone loses and busts out?
Why don't you play ten-handed at the tables, instead of nine-handed, allowing at least 275 more entrants?
Why don't you set us up at one of the other Harrah's properties and let us play there?
Why don't you have a fifth Day One for us and move the subsequent days back?
Why don't you have a whole new session tonight that we can play in?
Why can't I play when we've heard a rumor that this famous poker player or that one got special treatment and was allowed in?

A waiting list was started, in the hope that registration would be re-opened. While the thousands who were already registered were filling the Amazon room and beginning to play, more and more people joined the mob of upset non-players. They tried to organize, shouting ideas to each other, choosing one player to be their spokesperson if they got a chance to talk to management, and refusing to take "no" for an answer. It was said that 600 people had been shut out. With an entry fee of $10,000 each, that's six million more dollars that could have been in the prize pool. Not only that, but those players would have boosted this year's Main Event attendance past last year's.

At one point, Mike Sexton, host of the World Poker Tour telecasts, wandered by. Mike has played in the WSOP for years and has a sterling reputation in the poker community. He had already played on Friday (and would return for Day Two on Tuesday), but was quickly surrounded and recruited to be an advocate for the shut-out players. He listened to their complaints and agreed to see what he could do.

Around 2:15pm, just as those who were in the tournament were going on their first break of the day, Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack and several others from top management of the WSOP and Harrah's gathered the crowd in a small ballroom nearby. There, they broke the news that they would not allow any more entrants into the Main Event, that every option had been considered and rejected, that operational problems prevented them from adding another session and pushing the schedule back, that no other event had allowed alternates, etc.

Obviously, the crowd wasn't happy. Americans, Australians, Mexicans, Europeans, all shouted questions at Pollack, arguing with him over every point they could think of, trying to convince him to change his mind (or, in some cases, just blowing off some steam after traveling so far).

Pollack kept apologizing profusely, saying the last thing he wanted was to prevent people from playing in the Main Event, and promising that this would be dealt with as Matter Number One when he and his team planned for next year's WSOP, but the decision had been made and was final. The crowd refused to accept that, and things quickly devolved. It was clear to me this was like children who refuse to accept that Daddy won't take them to Six Flags, no matter how much they whine about it and offer to pay with their own money: No Means No.

After 15 minutes or so, Pollack realized there was nothing more he could say to the crowd, so he and the other execs left the room. That's when I went over to Mike Sexton, who's been a guest on my show. We talked for a couple of minutes and I invited him to come up to our broadcast suite to record a segment for our poker radio show, The Lumiere Place Final Table, and discuss the controversy, the decision, his role, etc.

He agreed, and you'll hear that in-depth conversation when the show airs tonight at 7pm CT on KFNS/St. Louis, or via the podcast I'll post when it's over at 8pm. You'll also hear Dennis Phillips and Joe "The Poker Coach" McGowan discussing their play in the Main Event (they both played Sunday and advanced to Day Two), and my interview with Congressman Barney Frank about the legislation he's proposed to make poker legal in all forms, online and off.

While I'm at it, congratulations to Dennis, Josh "The Poker Lawyer" Schindler, and about a dozen other St. Louisans we know who played in the Main Event and are still in it. They're representing our hometown very well -- and they were all smart enough to pre-register to be sure they could play!!

Back in Vegas

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Harris) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 09:12:36 PDT

I'm back in Vegas, where the Main Event of the 2009 World Series of Poker got underway this weekend. I'm not playing in the big tournament, sticking to the cash games instead (and doing well so far), while checking on a large contingent of St. Louisans who are playing. Thus far, all but one of them has advanced to Day 2, which is quite an accomplishment.

Like last year, there are four Day Ones, to accommodate the large crowds they expected. Unfortunately, Day 1a and 1b had only 2,000 entrants combined, because so many people were celebrating Independence Day. Things picked up on Day 1c yesterday, with another 2,000 or so, but if they don't get 3,000 more today, they'll end up with a smaller turnout than last year (6,844).

When time permits, Dennis Phillips, Joe McGowan, and I are going to record more material for our poker radio show, The Lumiere Place Final Table (7pm CT Tuesdays on KFNS/St. Louis), and then I'll crunch some of it into tomorrow night's show and save the rest for future shows.

One of the things you'll hear Tuesday is a conversation I had with Congressman Barney Frank, who was here to kick off the Day 1c with the classic "Shuffle Up and Deal!" announcement. Afterwards, we talked about his legislation to make online poker legal and keep the government from telling you what you can and can't do with your own money. We did the interview near the ESPN Feature Table, and at one point, just after he finished an answer, I saw a look of terror cross Frank's's face. It turned out that we were standing a little too close to the dolly tracks for an ESPN camera, which was being pushed in our direction very quickly. Since I had my back to it, Frank grabbed me and moved me out of the way, just as the camera crew rolled past us. We then calmly finished our discussion, in which he said that, with the Democratic majority in Congress, he's hopeful his bill will pass this year.

Reminder: you can follow me on Twitter as "PaulHarrisShow." Dennis is tweeting, too, as "Dennis_Phillips," and Joe is "JoePokerCoach."

Ego Run Amuk

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Harris) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:04:56 PDT

Phil Hellmuth enhanced his reputation as an egomaniac with his entrance to the WSOP Main Event yesterday. You may have seen last year, when he dressed up as General Patton. This year, he acted the role of Julius Caesar, complete with trumpets and a dozen painted models. When Doyle Brunson saw this, he commented, "I love Phil, but come on, man, WTF? I wouldn't do that for a million bucks."

Lady Liberty

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Harris) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:13:34 PDT

The Statue of Liberty has meant a lot to my family, from my grandparents who viewed it in New York Harbor as immigrants arriving in the US over a hundred years ago, to my father who wrote a book about Lady Liberty for her centennial, to the visits we made when I was a young boy, when we'd climb that cramped copper interior all the way to her crown.

Since 9/11, you haven't been able to go up inside the Statue of Liberty to see the view, because of security concerns. That changes this weekend, when the Department of Homeland Security reopens the venue to tours. If you can't get there, USA Today has a 360-degree panoramic view from the exterior, inside the stairway, and from the top.

KTRS Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Harris) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:00:20 PDT

I'm finishing the week with another show on The Big 550 KTRS/St. Louis today from Noon to 3pm CT. One of my guests will be Bob Greene, talking up his new book, "Late Edition: A Love Story." You can listen live here

Not In The Stars

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Harris) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:58:23 PDT

On the new episode of Penn & Teller's "Bulls**t," they take on astrology -- a subject I thought they'd debunked before, but they hadn't.

In addition to an appearance by my friend, Phil Plait (an astronomer, who talks about the stars in terms of real science), my favorite part is when they send astrologer Charles Vickers to help a woman find some career guidance. Despite his attempts at cold reading and scattershot guesses, he misses completely on everything he says about her. On the other hand, he does have the worst hair I've seen on TV in a long time...

KTRS Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Harris) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:12:32 PDT

I'll be back on The Big 550 KTRS/St. Louis today from Noon to 3pm CT. You can listen live here

Real Rehab

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Harris) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:16:14 PDT

When Richard Farrell read James Frey's "A Million Little Pieces," he got mad. He knew immediately that Frey's story of drug rehab was bogus, because Farrell had gone through rehab himself -- and not in an upscale detox facility like Hazleton, but in the municipal program in Lowell, Massachussetts. So Farrell decided to write his own book about the experience.

Today on KTRS/St. Louis, I talked to Farrell about that memoir, "What's Left of Us." We discussed what drove him to become a daily heroin user, what it was like going through detox, how he kicked the habit and became a successful screenwriter and film maker (his script for "The Fighter" is about to go into production, starring Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale).

Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!

Worth A Link

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Harris) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:53:56 PDT

Tom Shales defends his profession, saying that with more shows out there, TV critics are needed more than ever.

Dead, Not Dead

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Harris) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:42:41 PDT

Last week, among the celebrity death reports (Jackson, Farrah, McMahon), a rumor appeared on Twitter that Jeff Goldblum had died. I think it started with a joke, or a bad game of Operator. Someone said "they're dropping like flies," someone else remembered that Goldblum had starred in "The Fly," someone else thought that meant Jeff Golblum had fallen to his death, and pretty soon, the story had gone viral: Jeff Goldblum had fallen off a cliff while making a movie in New Zealand.

Fortunately, one respected news operation took the time to get the story confirmed by an unimpeachable source -- Jeff Goldblum...

Raising Free-Range Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Harris) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:50:03 PDT

Roger Ebert laments the freedom we give children due to our own paranoia...
We live in a reign of terror. Outside the home, molesters and drug pushers lurk. Children drown, are hit by cars, shot, electrocuted, bullied, burned, stabbed, attacked by pit bulls, or kidnapped and end up with their photos on milk cartons. When they play, they make "play dates." They can ride their bikes outside--but don't leave the block. They can shoot baskets, but in the driveway, or at a supervised playground. If some kid tells you to go f*** yourself and you whoop him, you'll be seeing his parents in court. If he comes over to play and falls down your basement stairs, you'll get sued for the house.

Many parents keep firearms in the house for protection, even though most shootings in the house are tragic accidents. Now I learn of a church whose pastor has asked his congregation to bring their guns to church, in support of the cause of Visible Firearms. That pastor is getting mixed messages from above. My friend McHugh was sitting in O'Rourke's one night when a guy flashed a gun stuck in his belt. "What are you carrying that for?" he asked the guy. "I live in a dangerous neighborhood," the guy said. McHugh told him, "It would be a lot safer if you moved."

We believe that all undesirable things can be eliminated by legislation. In England this has gotten so far out of hand that that a 10-year-old boy is forbidden to cross a parking lot, and girls can't skip rope on public property. In America, have you seen grade school football players recently? They wear more armor than Robocop. It's safer for them to sit on the sofa and blow people up in video games.
The whole piece is here.

KTRS Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Harris) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:19:11 PDT

I'll be back on The Big 550 KTRS/St. Louis today from Noon to 3pm CT. You can listen live here

Web Site Story

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Harris) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:00:33 PDT

Updating the classic Broadway musical about urban gangs to the present day problems of dating and social networking...

Aaron Barnhart on TV

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Harris) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:18:26 PDT

TV critic Aaron Barnhart joined me on KTRS/St. Louis today to talk about how the death of Michael Jackson has been covered by the various networks, the huge rating BET got for its awards show Sunday night, and why MSNBC continues to run documentaries instead of live news programming on the weekend.

I also asked Aaron about the published report that Simon Cowell wants a raise from $36 million/year to $144 million/year (and whether he's worth it), and who's winning the late-night battle between David Letterman and Conan O'Brien. Then Aaron previewed the new Dylan McDermott show, "Dark Blue," which debuts on TNT in two weeks.

Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!

Leaving Iraq To Iraqis

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Harris) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:18:42 PDT

Today on KTRS/St. Louis, I wanted to get some perspective from someone who served in this war on the US military handing over control of Iraq's major cities to their own security forces today. So, once again, I called on Paul Reickhoff, who had his boots on the ground before coming home to form Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America.

Paul offered his analysis of where things will go once the US Army isn't involved in protecting Iraq on a daily basis, whether we'll see an increase in sectarian and other violence as the US scales back, and how our troops feel about the change in their role there (particularly those who have done multiple tours of duty already).

We also discussed whether the care of our veterans has improved since his group started lobbying Congress several years ago, what the economy has done to the jobs those veterans were promised when they returned home, and whether President Obama --who has been getting more pressure from gay groups -- will end the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy anytime soon.

Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!

FT 23 -- Eli Elezra & Phil Hellmuth

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Harris) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:00:02 PDT

Tonight on my poker radio show, The Lumiere Place Final Table, Dennis Phillips and I continue with stories and interviews from the 2009 World Series Of Poker in Las Vegas. Our guest list includes:

Eli Elezra, explaining how he organizes the "Big Game" in Bobby's Room at the Bellagio -- where the best players in the world play for the highest stakes -- as well as the Chinese Poker game that goes on in the VIP Room during tournament breaks at the World Series Of Poker
Joe "The Poker Coach" McGowan goes one-on-one with Phil Hellmuth, while they're playing against each other at a tournament table
Amarillo Slim opens up about the legal trouble that made him a pariah in the poker community over the last few years

Also, The Art Of The Chop -- a detailed discussion about how to split the winnings when you get down to two or three players at the end of a tournament.
Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!

The Lumiere Place Final Table airs Tuesdays at 7pm CT on KFNS/St. Louis. If you've missed our previous shows, you can find the podcasts here.

KTRS Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Harris) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:22:49 PDT

I'll be back on The Big 550 KTRS/St. Louis today from Noon to 3pm CT. You can listen live here

A Day In The Life

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Harris) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:00:18 PDT

Neil Young has been performing The Beatles' "A Day In The Life" as the encore on his current tour, but when he closed his concert with it in London's Hyde Park this weekend, a special guest walked out of the wings to join him...

Could Madoff Make Good?

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Harris) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:52:05 PDT

After Bernie Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison today, I called on a regular KTRS contributor, investment advisor Jeff Lapidus (a/k/a The Retirement Coach), to offer his perspective on what Madoff had done, how you can avoid being ripped off as Madoff's clients were, and whether the sentence makes sense. Jeff suggested an alternative to pure imprisonment that I found interesting...

Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!

KTRS Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Harris) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 22:02:01 PDT

I'll be back on The Big 550 KTRS/St. Louis today from Noon to 3pm CT. You can listen live here

Steve & Michael & Billie & Lorne

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Harris) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 22:00:01 PDT

In 1983, Steve Martin did a parody of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean." It aired at the top of the first episode of NBC's "The New Show," a primetime project Lorne Michaels did after leaving "SNL."

In The New Yorker, Martin explains:

I’m not sure whose idea it was; it might have been Lorne’s. Pat Birch choreographed it. The hard move was that little leg twist that he did. You really have to throw your leg. I did it a thousand times in about three days. And a couple of weeks later I noticed -- er, I have a pain here. The pain lasted about two years, then it went away on its own.

Worth A Link

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Harris) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 05:14:25 PDT

Maureen Dowd on SC Governor Mark Sanford's alter ego:

With Maria, he was no longer the penny-pinching millionaire Mark, who used to sleep on a futon in his Congressional office and once treated two congressmen to movie refreshments by bringing back a Coke and three straws.

No, he was someone altogether more fascinating: Marco, international man of mystery and suave god of sex and tango.

Mark was the self-righteous, Bible-thumping prig who pressed for Bill Clinton’s impeachment; Marco was the un-self-conscious Lothario, canoodling with Maria in Buenos Aires, throwing caution to the e-wind about their "soul-mate feel," her tan lines, her curves, "the erotic beauty of you holding yourself (or two magnificent parts of yourself) in the faded glow of night’s light."

Mark is a conservative railing against sinners; Marco sins liberally. Mark opposes gay marriage as a threat to traditional marriage. Marco thinks nothing of risking his own traditional marriage, and celebrates transgressive relationships.

The whole column is here.

Worth A Link

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Harris) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 04:42:21 PDT

Comic book writer Mark Sable was detained and questioned by the TSA, and they weren't happy when they went through his things and found his manuscript about a comic book writer who is questioned and detained by the TSA for writing a book about terrorism. The agents didn't seem to enjoy the irony. [thanks to Miguel Paser for the link]