Thousands showed up in Denver today to register to audition for American Idol. By 7am, the line extended 1/4 mile around the stadium. The process continues through Tuesday, when those selected today and Monday will get to sing for the judges.

I wonder how many of them have read the release (pdf)they must sign before going on. Or, in the case of the younger aspirants, if their parents have read and understand it. Why do these reality shows get away with these one-sided contracts filled with legalese only a legal expert could decipher? Compare it to their FAQ's for auditioning, and the Rules, which are in plain English.

What happened where you are today? This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

It's dinnertime here and we're under another severe thunderstorm watch. Do I take a chance on barbecuing steaks or order in? Saigon soft shell crabs sound pretty good.

What are you all doing tonight?

How's your weekend shaping up? I have work to do.

This is an Open Thread.

Stage 7 of the Tour de France is going on today, ending at the summit of Arcalis in the Pyrenees. You can watch online here. UPDATE - Contador proves he is the man of this Tour, even though he is not yet wearing the yellow jersey. He sprints away from Armstrong and all the other main contenders at the summit. With 2 more days in the Pyrenees, Contador will likely be the Maillot Jaune in the next days and at the end of the Tour.

In other news, the NYTimes endorses the BTD Plan (snark) for the Honduran crisis.

This is an Open Thread.

We're grilling tequila lime chicken and watching Weeds (tivo'd from Monday) tonight.

For the one or two readers who watch The Bachelorette, don't miss Reality Steve’s interview of Wes Hayden (podcast link here). He's not the villain ABC has portrayed him to be.

What are you all doing and thinking about? This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Here is one of the funniest dkos diaries and threads I have read in some time. I think that most of the humor is unintentional. I admit to uncertainty on that point.

There has been a lot of "news" on the Sotomayor confirmation that I have not written about. I have chosen not to because well, they are pretty much just staged endorsement rollouts by the Obama Administration that, to me at least, add nothing to the story. I know they are doing their political job on this, and good for them, but I have no interest in writing about press releases on endorsements. I will return to the Sotomayor confirmation story when the confirmation hearings start and hope to see a real discussion about judicial philosophies. That would be of interest to me.

One last thing, the Tour de France begins in earnest tomorrow in Stage 7 with the first trip into the mountains. Can Armstrong or anyone stay with Contador? I say no. We'll see.

This is an Open Thread.

Huffington Post has hired Dan Froomkin. Great decision by Arianna.

Al Franken has been sworn in as U.S. Senator. The Dems now have their 60 majority.

The family motorcade is leaving Forest Lawn for the Staples Center. The motorcade includes a hearse which contains Michael Jackson's casket. MSNBC has medical examiner Cyril Wecht, fresh off the heels of the dismissal of fraud charges against him, providing commentary. Lots of talk about whether the doctors committed a crime in prescribing drugs to Michael Jackson. (Wecht lashed out last week at Pittsburgh U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan (of Tommy Chong fame, the one who is asking Obama to keep her on as U.S. Attorney even though she was a Bush appointee.) More on the Wecht's case at the Pittsburgh Gazette here. I rarely agree with Cyril, but I like him personally.

This is an open thread, all topics -- related to the "most important entertainer on the planet" (per CNN) or not - welcome.

Michael Jackson mania continues. Do you really care who will be singing at his memorial tomorrow? I don't. It was his singing and dancing I liked and would want to hear, not his friends. Meanwhile, LA Observed tells us Michael will be buried tomorrow morning at Forest Lawn in the San Fernando Valley and lists several other celebrities who are interred there. Followed by:

Lucille Ball was originally interred there, but her ashes have since been moved, says Find A Grave.com.

Find A Grave.com? How gruesome. Is anyone covering the Obamas in Moscow? I think it's great that the Russian president wore jeans today , but all I've seen besides that are Michelle and the girls' outfits (very cute, especially Sasha, love this photo) and the very important news that the Obamas will vacation this summer at Martha's Vineyard. [More...]

Heat in the south is being mitigated by storms, but the rest of the country seems to be enjoying sunny, pleasant weather. You probably have better things to do than reading a blog, but if not, here's an open thread. It's open to all topics, but lets throw out a rhetorical question for starters: what kind of jerk boards an airplane, stranding his newlywed wife in an airport in Malaysia, because he thought she was taking too long in the bathroom?

In 2006, I wrote that "It's a Hollow Feeling This Fourth of July." Are we any better off this year? We haven't seen much tangible progress, but Bush and Cheney are gone and we do seem to be headed in the right direction, even if we are moving at a snail's pace.

So, yes, I'm going to celebrate. But I'm also not going to forget the freedoms we need to protect and defend, not just for our law-abiding citizens but for all who are living within our country, including those who continue to be detained at Guantanamo, who are languishing in our prisons, and who live in fear of being separated from their families and deported.

If you're looking for something to evoke a feeling of what today is about, here's one of my favorites:

What are your thoughts and plans this Independence Day? (Menu descriptions welcome.)

If you have something on your mind and aren't busy preparing to celebrate Independence Day (please folks, cherry bombs and M-60's [revolting video warning] are not toys -- be safe!), here's the place to express it.

Great tennis match underway between Serena Williams and Elena Dementieva in the womens semifinal at Wimbledon. Dementieva won the first set in a tie break and Williams up a break in the second. Well worth watching.

Serena wins the 2nd 7-5. Can Dementieva hold together emotionally? In the past she simply has not been mentally tough enough. We'll see.

Serena Williams wins, taking the 3rd set 8-6. Tremendous match.

This is an Open Thread.