Howie Carr list week of Jan. 1, 2012

Howie thread for the week starting with his Sunday Boston Herald column, "Carrnac Predicts"

CARRNAC PREDICTS ...
By Howie Carr | Sunday, January 1, 2012 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Columnists
Photo

OK, same deal with these predictions as last year’s. If Carrnac the Magnificent calls one correctly, please mention my prescience to everyone you know. If I get it wrong, well ... I didn’t see you and you didn’t see me.

I got a lot of no-brainers right in 2011 — Scott Brown’s book did way outsell Deval Patrick’s, and Sal DiMasi did go to the can. The one I’m proudest of is calling Barney Frank’s retirement. I missed on some, too — Chuck “Superfly” Turner wasn’t home for Kwanzaa, and a local elected law-enforcement official wasn’t indicted. (I have no idea why that didn’t happen. I think I’ll make that same prediction again this year.)

OK, here goes. In 2012, Carrnac foresees:

• Mitt Romney narrowly defeats Barack Obama for president as the economy continues to falter and the stock market plunges.

• Scott Brown edges Professor Warren. (My crystal ball is very cloudy on this one and the cantankerous spirits provide no guidance, but I don’t need to take grief about it all year long.)

• Whitey Bulger’s trial will not begin this year.

• At least one legislative leader, maybe more, will be indicted in the Probation Department scandal.

• Lt. Gov. Tim Murray will make a very special announcement in the spring.

• Sal DiMasi will return to Boston on the Club Fed con-bus, not because he’s won his appeal, but because a new anti-corruption grand jury has been impaneled and he’ll be called to testify before it.

• One more semi-bigtime Boston mafia member will flip, if he hasn’t already, and join the new Parade of Rats that includes Mark Rossetti and Bobby DeLuca.

• Uncle Omar, who was spotted Friday night at the Chicken Bone in Framingham sporting a full beard, will beat the OUI rap, win political-refugee status, retire from Conti Liquors and join Auntie Zeituni on the dole.

• One Massachusetts congressman will not be returned to office, either by retirement or defeat — the crystal ball is clouding up again, obscuring the name. All Carrnac can make out through the fog is a single letter — “T.”

• In 2012 we still won’t officially learn the name of the billionaire businessman/philanthropist who took up with the hooker who is now under a gag order from Judge Wolf. But we have a pretty good idea who he is already — don’t we? — and if you don’t know yet, Carrnac predicts some troll will out him on the message board right under this column on the Herald website.

• The stolen Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum paintings will finally be recovered after 20 years.

Well, that’s it, and let Carrnac leave with this final extremely trite thought for the New Year. As you go through life, whatever your goal, keep your eye on the doughnut, and not on the hole.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1392410

For those on the Howie ping list:

On his show today Howie Carr announced a new website http://www.howiecarr.us which contains
videos, his public appearances, and other stuff related to his show...and he has a mailing list people
can sign up for: “so I can let you know where I’ll be in case I wind up somewhere else”. This and
other not-so-obvious hints show that he’d like to try another station when his contract expires in the fall—and one would think if it were handled correctly this time (not like before when he let the cat
out of the bag re: Greater Media) he may indeed head elsewhere. Note:

—one Greater Media bigwig said awhile back they wouldn’t be interested in him. But who knows

—Clear Channel? 1200 and that wonderful signal? Hmm.

—BZ? Doubt it. They have Rea and Leveille and that’s about it.

—He may wind up back at RKO if the others can’t match his demands, but no matter what happens,
hosts are making less these days (see: Glenn Ordway, pay cut in half) and who knows which station
might ultimately meet his demand. And does RKO want him back? As long as they don’t plan
on turning into True Oldies 680 or ethnic, I’d say they do.

The site does not say Copyright Entercom L.L.C. A WHOIS search via Network Solutions says
the domain is registered to Howie Carr but the address given is 20 Guest St Boston (aka
WRKO/Entercom) and phone number seems like a Brighton/WRKO exchange (617-779 etc). The contact e-mail is through “fatboy.cc” which is Howie’s Ted Kennedy site.
The domain was apparently registered through a German firm. I can’t tell if Entercom is behind
this but other than the “20 Guest St” address, there is no mention of them.

The fall of 2012 might lead to Howie landing elsewhere, but then again the way the market
is (talk radio) he may wind up back at RKO anyway.

(The pic on the start page does show Howie with the RKO logo behind him. Interestingly enough,
the name of the site—which says copyright 2012 Howie Carr—is The Real Howie Carr Page, a name
perhaps inspired by WEEI’s name of its own Patriots postgame show. EEI doesn’t have the Pats
play by play but they invite listeners to hear the REAL postgame show rather than what their
competitor has. So again, interesting that Howie seems to have started this site up
and the implication is that this (or the mailing list/newsletter) is where he can tell people where he’s landed if indeed
he does go elsewhere, and that this is HIS site not Entercom’s (which owns howiecarr.com))

Howie’s contract ends in either Sept. or Nov. of this year;
all the hoo-hah with Entercom happened in the fall of ‘07
and it’s a 5 yr contract. Obviously if I hear anything I’ll pass it along.

Special Tue online column ping

Crash, cough up your cell and text records
By Howie Carr | Tuesday, January 3, 2012 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Columnists
Photo
Photo by Patrick Whittemore

Was somebody chasing you that morning, Crash?

You told us two months ago that you were going “around the speed limit.” Now it turns out you were doing 108 miles per hour on I-190.

A buck eight? Where was the fire, Crash?

You claimed you were on a fact-finding mission to survey storm damage ... in the dark... at 108 miles per hour? And didn’t you initially tell us your seat belt was fastened? Er, never mind.

And your statement (written, not in front of the cameras) was priceless: “The vehicle accelerated rapidly.”

The vehicle? Please, Crash. Why didn’t you just say you mistook the brake for the accelerator? That always works so well for the 90-year-old drivers.

Crash’s cover-up is unraveling fast. And as devious as Tiny Tim appears, the Mass. State Police look even worse. Let’s see, one was just lugged by the feds for allegedly extorting a bookie and another (a captain) took it on the lam down Rte. 1 with a cruiser full of beer with the local constabulary in hot pursuit. And then there’s the off-duty Elmer Fudd out hunting who mistook a dog for a deer Saturday and opened fire on a woman.

These guys are making the old Mets look good. Next thing you’ll be telling me is that there are four statie lieutenant colonels and two of them are brothers — is this Boston or Juarez?

So the brilliant brass at the top of the state police — and let’s not forget Col. McGovern, their first female boss and a helluva an administrator — told us that analyzing the data from the Crown Vic’s black box was an “unnecessary step.”

Yeah, if you’re trying to whitewash some pol’s dirty little secret.

The staties — they left no stone unturned, except the one Crash was hiding under.

At least Crash tried to get ahead of the curve, releasing this bad news on the same day as the Iowa caucuses. But when you’re bagged — on a FOIA request, by the Herald no less, after a scandal-scarred police department tries to bury the case — somehow you know the papers will find room somewhere on the front page.

You were doing 108 — what, were you trying to get home to Worcester before your coffee got cold?

So many questions, so few answers, and they all have to be pried out of Crash and the staties with the Jaws of Life. Where exactly was the lieutenant governor fleeing from?

Another question: will Crash get the gift that keeps on giving — a surcharge on his auto insurance? Can you appeal a surcharge to the Board of Appeal at the Registry of Motor Vehicles — you know, the hackerama where Crash obtained a $62,000-a-year coatholder’s job for Matt McLaughlin, the son of his boon companion, the oft-investigated Mikey McLaughlin of Chelsea, Billerica, Dracut, Somerville and other garden spots of the Commonwealth.

Coming soon to a front page near you: Crash’s cell phone records.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1393010

Wed column ping—yesterday’s web exclusive, altered a bit

Catch-108 for crash
By Howie Carr | Wednesday, January 4, 2012 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Columnists
Photo
Photo by Ted Fitzgerald

Was somebody chasing you that morning, Crash?

You told us two months ago that you were going “around the speed limit.” Now it turns out you were doing 108 miles per hour, which is rings around the speed limit.

A buck eight? Where was the fire, Crash? Or should I call you Hurry, as in Hurry Murray.

I can hardly wait until we get Hurry’s cellphone records. Maybe, in addition to sleep-driving, he was sleep-texting. At 108 mph, he must have been having a nightmare.

Crash, you claimed you were on a fact-finding mission to survey storm damage ... in the dark ... at 108 miles per hour? And didn’t you initially tell us your seat belt was fastened? Er, never mind.

And your statement was priceless: “The vehicle accelerated rapidly.”

The vehicle? Please, Crash. Why didn’t you just say you mistook the brake for the accelerator? That always works so well for the 90-year-old drivers. Another possible alibi: I wasn’t speeding, I was qualifying. ...

Crash’s cover-up is unraveling fast. As devious as Tiny Tim appears, the Mass. State Police look even worse.

Let’s see, one was just lugged by the feds for allegedly extorting a bookie and another (a captain) allegedly took it on the lam down Route 1 with an unmarked cruiser full of beer with the local constabulary in hot pursuit. Don’t forget the statie with the alleged hooker in Lynn. And then there’s the off-duty Elmer Fudd out hunting Saturday who allegedly mistook a dog for a deer and then opened fire on the dog’s owner.

These guys are making the old New York Mets look good. Remember when the brilliant brass at the top of the state police — Maid Marian McGovern, this means you — told us that analyzing the data from the state sled’s black box was an “unnecessary step.”

The staties — they left no stone unturned, except the one Hurry Murray was hiding under.

At least Crash tried to get ahead of the curve, releasing this bad news on the same day as the Iowa caucuses. But when you’re bagged — on a FOIA request by the Herald no less, after a Mickey Mouse cover-up falls apart — you know the papers will find room for it somewhere on the front page.

Hurry Murray, you were doing 108 — what, were you trying to get home to Worcester before your coffee got cold? So many questions, so few answers, and they all have to be pried out of Crash and the staties with the Jaws of Life.

Another question: Will Crash get the gift that keeps on giving — a surcharge on his auto insurance? Can you appeal a surcharge to the Board of Appeal at the Registry of Motor Vehicles? You know, the hackerama where Crash obtained a $62,000-a-year coatholder’s job for Matt McLaughlin, the son of his boon companion, the oft-investigated Mikey McLaughlin of Chelsea, Billerica, Dracut, Somerville and other garden spots of the commonwealth.

WWTKD — What would Ted Kennedy do?
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1393072

Fri column ping

Crash, I’ve got an actual job for you
By Howie Carr | Friday, January 6, 2012 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Columnists
Photo

Crash Murray has enough problems trying to keep his various stories straight. But perhaps the Pillsbury Doughboy’s career-ending scandal can serve as a “teachable moment.” So I would like to suggest a new role for Crash.

Perhaps he could become the guy who goes to the state’s high schools in the spring, just before the proms, to show the class of 2012 the dangers of reckless driving.

An email was sent to his flack yesterday asking if he’d be willing to consider such a role. No response was immediately forthcoming.

Murray could handle this very important assignment. Over the past few days, we’ve all been very amused by his statements, with eyes wildly blinking, about how he was out there doing 108 mph in an attempt to “gather his thoughts” for the day.

Listen, your average housecat has more need to gather his thoughts in the morning than Tim Murray. Do you realize the lieutenant governor’s work schedule averages 10 minutes a week? Every Wednesday at noon he chairs the Governor’s Council and ... that’s about it.

“I want to get back to work,” he said the other day. What work? He stood by as state police Col. Marian McGovern “announced a State Police initiative to research trooper safety practices and procedures” at a July press conference.

Here’s the procedure. If a politician crashes his Crown Vic at 108 mph, tell the media it would be an “unnecessary step” to check the readings from the black box. Then stonewall their FOIA requests for two months.

Crash Murray loves these traffic-safety press conferences. A couple of months later, he was in Weymouth, sternly warning motorists to obey the new laws banning texting while driving.

This Crash quote comes from another state press release: “We encourage everyone to spread the word about the ban on texting for everyone.”

Oh man, I can’t wait till we get his cellphone records. Although of course we’ll find nothing there, because as a good liberal Democrat, you know Hurry Murray would never talk the talk while not walking the walk.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1393653

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