Review: The 1/2 Hour News Hour

I just finished watching the premier episode of the 1/2 Hour News Hour from the Fox News Channel tonight.

There were some good jokes about Iranian holocaust deniers and their nonexistent holocaust denial conference, a potential Hillary Clinton multi-ethnic lesbian cabinet, liberal radio Air America and their 12 listeners, and homosexual penguins.

Some good book reviews: "Harry Potter and the Alternative Lifestyle," socialist children's book "The Little Engine that Couldn't Quite," "James and the Giant Melanoma" (it doesn't have a happy ending), and "Garfield Goes to the Free Clinic."

I also liked the ACLU piece: "Twisting the Constitution since 1920." Also how the ACLU fought for the rights of pregnant women to use cocaine.

There was the OJ-esque continuing coverage of Ed Begley's journey to the studio in his environmentally friendly car that ran on batteries or human waste, but couldn't make it up hills. (He never did make it to the studio).

Crude of me, I know, but I laughed till I cried over the tyrannical t-shirt salesman and his t-shirt featuring the picture of Iranian Prime Minister Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with the caption underneath: "Shiit happens."

Another segment featured a man who could blame pretty much anything on global warming with his theory: "Six Degrees of Global Warming." He blamed blizzards, higher gas prices, a crime wave in Houston, and even some of Britney Spears' behavioral problems on global warming. This segment was not unlike much of the "real" media.

Some parts were a little stiff, but this was only a pilot episode, and I think the show will only get better with time and experience, and will hit its stride in short order.

I do hope the producers will tone back on some of the crude and risque material. As it was, several parts of it weren't very family friendly. You can be funny without being vulgar, and I hope they figure that out.

I'll be tuning in next week with hopes that they'll make some adjustments and this will be picked up as a regular series.