Happy Year of the Monkey

The ever versatile monkey is today’s Falstaff, and I of course am using monkey incorrectly to include apes such as chimpanzees as most Americans do.

Dennis Miller’s new conservative talk show on CNBC will feature a “monkey,” according to David Bauder of the Associated Press:

The show will feature interviews, a rant on a selected topic, a ‘Weekend Update’-like comic newscast and a pundit panel he calls ‘The Varsity.’ And a monkey. You read that right. Miller wanted a simian presence, believing a monkey occasionally scampering across the studio floor will keep both guests and viewers on their toes, he said. (Yahoo News!)

Are our attention spans so shot that it takes the natural unpredicitability of wildlife to “keep on our toes”? Or isn’t having an animal cavorting around the set, unless it’s a typically-sedate housecat, just asking for stimulus overload? Isn’t it an easy-out if the guest sucks?

“Hey, President Bush, I’m not going to ask you any tough questions because I ‘take care of my friends.’ Wanna see the monkey color a picture of Howard Dean using feces and urine?”