It’s been a crazy week, and it’s only Wednesday! Since their election on Friday, Iranians have been burning up the Twittersphere, drumming up support abroad and organizing protests internally. Why has Twitter suddenly gone political? Finally appreciating the service, Ted exposes his luddite roots, and Teresa helpfully explains why Twitter is so difficult to block, even in a country like Iran. (It’s basically impossible to stop people from sharing information on the Internet.)

So will people start relying more on Twitter for their news? Is this a shift for journalism? Can citizen journalists do a better job of covering things like the Iranian protests? CNN and the rest of the MSM certainly could’ve done better this weekend – check out the #CNNfail hashtag or the anger during the #140conf in New York – but couldn’t professional news organizations be doing more to use services like Twitter? The wisdom of the crowd is great, but who’s going to fact check all the information coming out of Twitter? Couldn’t it be the MSM interpreting and confirming this massive output of information?

Most of us are aggregators and distributors on Twitter anyway, and that shouldn’t be confused with actual in-depth, critical, original journalism. It’s like a game of “hot potato” with information. Some people cast this as MSM vs Social Media, but that’s a false argument, as our Prez likes to say. Aren’t Twitter feeds, Maegan suggests, just like AP/Reuter wire services in some ways?

We also talk President Obama’s lame attempt to appease the gay community, which sounds more like a fundraising stunt than anything else, and that ridiculous Letterman-Palin feud over the last week. (Does anyone even care about the Alaskan Governor anymore? If we stop talking about her, will she cease to exist? Kind of like Alf?)

Listen to the show here, subscribe to the iTunes podcast, or use the Blog Talk Radio player to the right.

Wilshire & Washington, the weekly Blog Talk Radio program that explores the intersection of politics, entertainment, and new media, features co-hosts Ted Johnson, Managing Editor of Variety; conservative blogger Teresa Valdez Klein (www.teresacentric.com), and liberal blogger Maegan Carberry (www.maegancarberry.com). The show airs every Wednesday at 7:30am PST on BlogTalkRadio.com.

For the first time, and perhaps the last, I was mentioned on a hip-hop blog, in reference to an article I wrote for iMedia Connection on 5 Experiments in Twitter. All I can say is, yes, the previous post on Pro Hip Hop is about Jim Jones. Me and Jones, we go back. Way back.

I recently had my first piece for USC Trojan Family Magazine appear in their Summer 2009 issue. It’s another port in the stormy life of a freelance writer, and so far a very friendly one. I have another article coming up in the fall as well, so hurrah.

It is a little strange to be writing alumni profiles when I am one, but it’s certainly fun to chat with people as they reminisce about their experiences at USC. I’ve heard a number of wild stories – wild bears in a frat house, anyone? – that sadly couldn’t be included. They’re rumor and conjecture, anyway. But everyone remembers the university so fondly, and I think once I have the same distance of time and professional experience, I will feel the same. At this point, my education is too close and I spend too much time engaged with the university for it be a part of my past.

You can read the profile I wrote about Mitesh Gala ‘92, ‘93, and Ajay Shiv MA ’94 here.

As the SCOTUS nomination of Sonia Sotomayor continues to dominate the news cycle, CNN’s Leslie Sanchez joins us to get right to the heart of the matter: what’s up with Newt Gingrich withdrawing his “she’s racist” comments? Can’t the guy just stand up for what he believes? But seriously, how many controversies does Sotomayor need to go through just to get on the Supreme Court? Any errors on her tax returns? Let’s just check to make sure, okay?

Sanchez, a Republican strategist and former advisor to President George W. Bush, gives us some serious thoughts about the historic nature of Sotomayor’s nomination to the Latino community, how the GOP can talk about identity politics without turning people off, and how it’s actually President Obama who made this nomination all about race and ethnicity when he spoke so glowingly of her empathy and background. She also addresses the relevancy of those comments about a “wise Latina” – it is justice for all, without favoring one group over another.

The second big story of the last week is Doctor George Tiller, the Kansas-based abortion doctor who was killed in his own church by an anti-abortion activist. A devastating story all around, Sanchez speaks to the controversy over how certain media pipelines push angry vitriol against figures like Tiller and how that can lead to violence. Finally, Sanchez weighs in on former VP Dick Cheney’s thoughts on gay marriage. Does this mark a point of moderation for the GOP on the issue or is this fight just going to get worse? And how do Latino voters enter into the equation?

Listen to the show here, subscribe to the iTunes podcast, or use the Blog Talk Radio player to the right.

Wilshire & Washington, the weekly Blog Talk Radio program that explores the intersection of politics, entertainment, and new media, features co-hosts Ted Johnson, Managing Editor of Variety; conservative blogger Teresa Valdez Klein (www.teresacentric.com), and liberal blogger Maegan Carberry (www.maegancarberry.com). The show airs every Wednesday at 7:30am PST on BlogTalkRadio.com.

Yesterday was a big day in the battle over gay marriage. The California Supreme Court upheld Proposition 8, but also unanimously agreed to keep in place the 18,000 marriages that took place before the November election. Protestors gathered all across the state to condemn the decision, and we’ve got audio from the West Hollywood protest, featuring Kathy Griffin, Drew Berrymore, and LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. But these protests weren’t anywhere as big as those right after the election, and this brings up the question: how does the movement sustain the enthusiasm and organization that it lacked during the “No on Prop 8″ campaign?

A big question mark on this issue is President Obama, whose support of civil unions was often believed to be a feint for a truly progressive stance. That belief hasn’t bourn out, as the President has been virtually silent on both Prop 8 and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. What gives, Mr. President? You can commend yourself for nominating a Latina to the Supreme Court while you totally ignore another minority group that desperately needs leadership? Maegan and Teresa discuss what would be the best way forward for marriage equality, including legal arguments and possible best practices.

That big nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor is a big deal, of course, and while it’s pretty unlikely Sotomayor is going to be denied, could she turn out to be the Democratic version of David Souter? And what is the media doing paying any attention to what Mitt Romney says about this issue? He has nothing to do with Sotomayor’s confirmation. It’s all the media’s push for drama. But since we love the drama, what can the GOP hang their opposition of Sotomayor on? Racism? Playing identity politics, which Teresa denounces as a big part of why she doesn’t consider herself a Democrat?

Finally, we touch on Mr. Bow-Tie Himself, Tucker Carlson, and his feeble-looking attempt to counter The Huffington Post? With The Daily Caller, is the Right starting to believe that talk radio is being marginalized, so they have to jump into the online realm? Can the conservatives match the relentless nature of Arianna Huffington and her work with the internet newspaper? Carlson’s got his work cut out for him, certainly.

Listen to the show here, subscribe to the iTunes podcast, or use the Blog Talk Radio player to the right.

Wilshire & Washington, the weekly Blog Talk Radio program that explores the intersection of politics, entertainment, and new media, features co-hosts Ted Johnson, Managing Editor of Variety; conservative blogger Teresa Valdez Klein (www.teresacentric.com), and liberal blogger Maegan Carberry (www.maegancarberry.com). The show airs every Wednesday at 7:30am PST on BlogTalkRadio.com.

My latest for LA.com is a write-up of a new eatery over on Main Street in Santa Monica, La Grande Orange. It’s a fun place, even if it’s a little pricey. Here’s an excerpt:

Along Main Street in Santa Monica, La Grande Orange is enjoying a promising start as a new dining destination. The multi-faceted space is bucking to become a local favorite among the lunch, brunch and dinner crowds, even offering options for early morning breakfast types, if you’re into that the type of thing. Weirdo.

Read the rest here.