A Weekend to Celebrate—and Mourn

• Happy birthday, Madge: Madonna turns the big 50 this weekend! Go get drunk, people ... you're next!

• Rhythm and Jews: Famous record producer Jerry Wexler, who coined the term "rhythm and blues," died today at age 91. Described as "the quintessential Jewish street kid who found a home in black music," he produced hits like Aretha Franklin's "Respect" and Wilson Pickett's "In the Midnight Hour." For you cubs, he was basically he was the Rick Rubin of the '50s and '60s.

• OMGWTF?!: A Queens councilman proposed a bill today that would ban sending or reading text messages while driving. This sounds completely unreasonable. I mean, people can drive with babies in the back seat, right? Can't we outlaw babies instead?!

• Master debater: At college debate championships last March, this professor got into an argument with a rival coach and mooned the audience. Nice extemporaneous speaking!

• Phone home: A phone powered by Google's Android operating system may land in T-Mobile stores come October. The projected phone includes a touch screen that slides out into a QWERTY keyboard. IPhone customers don't seem nervous. Or, more importantly, jealous.

• That's sir Nils to you: Those crazy Norwegians went and knighted themselves a penguin named Nils Olav. Nords. Crazy!