YouTube in 1801

Not What They Had in Mind, I'd Bet

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Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, John Adams and a few compatriots wait in line at the Florida DMV. Your democracy at work.

Hopefully they'll register to vote as they get their driver's licenses.

And since what you say on the Internet lives forever and can't be taken back, even if you delete the post, I would like to take this opportunity to recant my earlier denunciation of Paul Giamatti's performance in the HBO mini-series, John Adams. He grew into the role and did a great job in the final episodes in which we saw Adams retire to his farm in Massachusetts to live a life of hard work and constant heartbreak.

Paul Giamatti, You Are No John Adams

Episode Three in this grueling, never-ending biopic on HBO ended with our hero delirious in bed in Amsterdam, hallucinating and passing in and out of consciousness. The suspense is too much. Will he ever make it home to his brave and long suffering Abigail? Will he survive to become America's first Vice-President and the nation's second President?

Grueling and never-ending is known as "epic" or "saga" in TV world. Or better still, "Epic Saga."

See John Adams vomiting on his Atlantic crossing as he seeks French help for the revolution. See John Adams go into a coughing fit as he appeals to the government of the Netherlands for cash. See the viewers turn away in droves. See HBO scratch what have become pretty empty heads of late as they ask, "Where did we go wrong? It's a political season! We had the Internet saturated in banner ads for months! Everyone loves Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney!" Yeah. And we watched the first few installments. And then many viewers said, "Shit, I don't know if I can take another episode of this."

But still, we'll likely see Paul Giamatti get a gratuitous Emmy nod for what will be considered his "moving and courageous" performance.

"OK, Paul. In this scene you're coughing - and I mean really, really coughing. Coughing your lungs out and gonna blow open your stomach coughing. I want to hear it, Paul. Also, give me that eyes half-closed thing you do so well - and add a touch of the world-weary cynic head-hang that you're famous for. Ready, Paul? Great. and...Action!"