Endangered Whale Sharks Spotted Off Sarasota Coast; County Visitor's Bureau Hastily Puts Together "1st Annual Whale Shark Fishing Tourney"

For the first time in memory, whale sharks have been found just off the coast of Sarasota. Traditionally living in deep Gulf waters far from shore, Mote Marine Laboratory researchers theorize that the oil pollution from the failed Deepwater Horizon may be driving these giant creatures from their natural habitats and into more shallow waters in a desperate bid to escape fouled sea water.

As the largest species of the fish kingdom--sometimes reaching 40 feet and close to 20 tons--these gentle behemoths feed on plankton and other small sea life and pose no threat whatsoever to humans. In fact, they are docile enough for close interaction with humans, actually allowing swimmers to ride on their backs as they glide just beneath the waves.



In response to this remarkable news, the Sarasota County Convention Bureau, never ones to let a marketing opportunity pass them by, have hurriedly organized the Suncoast's "1st Annual Whale Shark Fishing Tournament." First prize of $10,000 will go to the crew of the vessel who drags the bloodied, lifeless carcass of the largest whale shark killed onto the docks at Marina Jack's. In a decidedly ironic twist--for the whale sharks, at least--the prize money for the contest is being donated by BP through a grant from their $20 billion dollar emergency fund.

Conservation groups are outraged by the notion of subjecting a threatened species to even more devastation of the species by humans. Explained one Sarasota Visitor Bureau spokespromoter, "Look, we've squeezed all we could out of that whole 'eco-tourism/save the planet' angle and were looking to go in another direction anyway when these whale sharks got dropped right into our laps. Talk about catching a lucky break! First, BP hands us bucketfuls of money for screwing up the Gulf for all eternity, then, it's BP's oil that's driving these whale sharks straight onto our beaches and into our bank accounts! We stand to make more money from this than if we would have let BP drill right on Siesta beach!!"

Local restaurants have already begun to cash in on the arrival of the friendly creatures and are currently serving up whale shark on their menus, from the Ritz-Carlton's Filet of Whale Shark with Baked Celeriac, Snail Beignets and Girolles to the New Pass Bait Shop and Grill's Fried Whale Shark Sandwich with Fries and Slaw to Captain Curt's New and Improved Award-Winning Clam Chowder, Now Made With Real Whale Shark. Said Beneva Stickney of the New Pass eatery, "Them Whale Shark Sandwiches have been a real big seller for us. We buy it by the truckload. I mean, those babies weigh--what--15 tons or something, right? That's a whole lotta fish to fry, my friend. And they say they're practically washing up on the beach....."

Local angler, Howard "Hook 'em Howie" Frabersnitz, prepares to gaff an exhausted whale shark and tow it into shallower water in order to kill the gentle creature by an agonizingly-tortuous method of suffocation.

Rescued Teen Sailor Says She Was Saved By Amelia Earhart

16-year old Abby Sunderland, the would-be circumnavigatrix feared lost at sea, has been rescued by a French fishing vessel somewhere in the Indian Ocean. Sunderland had lost radio contact with the outside world last week following a storm that disabled her sailboat, The ILuvJustinBieber. Upon picking up Ms. Sunderland, the crew of the French boat immediately surrendered to her, causing a great deal of consternation to the teenager.

Sunderland is now telling a fantastic tale regarding the circumstances of the untimely end of her journey. She says that, during a storm, she ran aground on a small, uncharted island somewhere in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

Exhausted and bedraggled, she struggled ashore to find shelter from the wind and rain, only to be hit in the head by a falling coconut and knocked unconscious. When she came to, she found herself in a ramshackle hut with an elderly woman was tending the gash in her head. The woman fed her soup, gave her dry clothing and nursed her back to health.

The old woman then told Sunderland, "I'll let you in on a secret, young lady. My name is: Amelia Earhart."

The stunned teenager steadied her gaze at the old woman.

"Oh.....

My.......

God.......

Like, are you related to Dale Earnhardt, Jr.??"





"No. Wait, who? No, Earhart. Amelia Earhart, the world-famous flyer who disappeared in 1937 while attempting to fly around the world," replied the old woman, somewhat taken aback.

"Oh, OK. Whatever. I don't suppose you get cell phone reception in this dump, do you? Like, I gotta call my folks back in California, then my boyfriend, then Sea-Tow, then check my e-mail, update my Facebook status from "Fish Food" to "Found Alive", Twitter to my peeps and....."

Taking the babbling young girl by the shoulders, the old woman violently shook her. "Listen, you little snip, I'm Amelia Earhart. I'm famous. People have been wondering what happened to me for over 70 years. And you're the first human being I've seen or talked to in 52 years; ever since that no-good Wiley Post, who couldn't navigate his way down a one-way street, let alone the planet, keeled over dead and left me here alone on this God-forsaken island. I'm Amelia Earhart, dammit....."


"See this picture. This is me, back in the day. I knew kings, queens, presidents and movie stars...."

Sunderland suddenly perked up. "You mean movie stars like Zac and Selena and Miley?"

"Who? No, I mean real stars like Flynn, Cagney and Bogart."

"Never heard of them. They must be pretty lame. Especially if they hung around an old bag like you......"

"OK, that's it. Get the hell off my island, you ungrateful little bitch! Scat! You hear me--get the hell outta here--NOW!"

And with that, the old woman chased her down the dirt road back to where she had secured Sunderland's boat during the storm. As the tide lifted the battered sailboat off the sandbar and carried her back out to sea, Sunderland could see the old lady laughing.

"And don't forget to tell 'em that Amelia Earhart saved you, you snot-nosed little brat! You hear me, Amelia Earhart......"

Mote Marine Tells of Sheen Found Off Siesta Key

Mote Marine scientists report that their research vessel, The Bloated Turtle, has discovered an insidious oily sheen just off the beaches of Siesta Key:

Accordingly, Governor Charlie Crist has declared a state of emergency for Sarasota and Manatee Counties.

Former Local Anchor, Monica Yadav, Selected "Broadcasting Babe of 2010" in Playboy Magazine Poll

In just-released poll results from Playboy Magazine, Sarasota's own Monica Yadav is the upset winner of their highly-coveted "Broadcasting Babe of the Year" award, reinforcing what everybody on the Suncoast knew, except, apparently, for the management of her former employer, WWSB-TV, which had the uncanny foresight to unceremoniously drop the ever-popular Ms. Yadav from their newscasts in March.

WWSB-TV general manager, Harold Frazee III, responsible for terminating the contracts of Ms. Yadav and another popular long-time anchor, Heidi Godman, is the great grandson of theatrical impressario and former Boston Red Sox owner, Harry Frazee. It was Mr. Frazee who sold baseball legend, Babe Ruth, to the New York Yankees in 1920, ostensibly to finance production of a Broadway show, thereby causing the "Curse of the Bambino" to thwart Red Sox pennant chances for over 80 years. Mr. Frazee III used his profits to invest the station heavily in British Petroleum stock.

Mr. Frazee III has since been fired from his position at WWSB-TV.

In a contest traditionally won by a vapid, willowy, blond hottie from the national media, such as previous winner, ESPN's Erin Andrews, Ms. Yadav's surprise victory marks a paradigm shift in how America views TV journalists.

Ms. Yadav, whose name means "beautiful and enchanting tigress which no mere mortal can tame" in Latvian, is now being mentioned as someone who could win Playboy's Triple Crown, a feat which has never been accomplished. The Triple Crown consists of threee contests: "Broadcasting Babe of the Year", "MILF of the Year", and "Most Likely To Go Home With Hef This Year." Insiders have recently hinted that Playboy founder, Hugh Hefner, is said to be tiring of the siliconized, plasticized botox Barbie dolls with which he has been associated and looking for a more classic beauty, with considerably less drama. Yadav is viewed as a 6 to 4 favorite to win it all.

In an instance of art imitating life, Ms. Yadav has inked a contract with ABC-TV to appear in a recurring role on the network's hit comedy, Cougartown, which is depicted as being set in an unnamed Florida town near Sarasota. Her role, a thinly-veiled reference to her own situation, will be as a television journalist who loses her job to a former stripper, only to become a stripper herself when she can't find work in the local media. Hijinks naturally ensue.

Reaction on the Suncoast has been universally in favor of the magazine's decision. Said fellow WWSB alum, Heidi Godman, who was also shown the door by the station, "I'm so glad for Monica. She has single-handedly broken down the barriers for us professional journalists to now be taken seriously as sex objects. I know she'll kick ass on Cougartown. Courtney Cox better watch out....."

Ms. Yadav is said to be mulling over the standing offer for winners of the "Broadcasting Babe of the Year" contest to appear as the centerfold model for the magazine.

As expected, the official announcement from WWSB has been somewhat less effusive. "We here at WWSB-TV congratulate Ms. Yadoff (sic) and wish her well in her future endeavors. And don't forget to watch "Wheel of Fortune" every night at 7:00 PM, right before bedtime."


Sarasota also has the dubious distinction as being the home of the first runner-up in the "Broadcasting Babe of the Year" contest, via the Sarasota News Network:

Woman Sells Drugs Hidden Inside Her Body or The Vagina Catalogs

Authorities have charged Katrina Wade, an inmate at the Charlotte County jail, with selling bags of heroin that were stashed inside her vagina to other inmates. Corrections deputies did not perform a full cavity body search on the suspect when she was brought to the jail, even though the arresting detective was alerted that Wade had up to 100 bags of smack in her snatch. Said one deputy, "We deal with the very worst of society has to offer on a daily basis here. We work with killers, rapists, child molesters and the occasional jaywalker. We go where even the bravest of men fear to tread. But there's just some places even we won't go--and rummaging through that woman's fish farm is one of those places."

Six days after her initial booking into the jail, a contingent of corrections deputies in full haz-mat body gear and a drug-sniffing dog went to Wade's cell to conduct a cavity body search. Prior to the search, the inmate removed a 33-gallon, heavy-duty trash bag from her bajingo containing 12 smaller bags of heroin, at which time the police dog threw up and 2 of the 5 deputies in attendance fainted.

As a result of the examination of Wade's whisker biscuit, deputies said they also retrieved three cartons of cigarettes, several cans of Bud Light, half of a tuna-on-rye sandwich, some mis-matched patio furniture, part of the superstructure of the Deepwater Horizon oil-drilling rig and a rusty Louisiana license plate.

Sheriff's deputies celebrate their safe return from Katrina Wade's full cavity body search, although medical personnel warn that they may suffer bouts of post-traumatic stress disorder later in their lives. One of the men has already been placed on a suicide watch.

Sarasota Police Chief Abbott Ousted, Costello Named As Replacement

Sarasota Police Chief, Peter Abbott, has resigned from his post as the head of the Sarasota Police Dept. According to City Manager, Robert Bartolotta, it was a mutual decision. And by "mutual decision," Bartolotta means "I fired him because he could not only overcome his own perceived incompetence, but my perceived incompetence, as well."

In a statement to the press, Abbott said Bartolotta told him, "Sometimes life isn't fair. Like now, for instance. Everyone in Sarasota thinks we're a couple of boobs. But because I'm the chief boob around here, you're fired. I'm hoping your replacement will make me look like less of a boob."

It's hard being Number Two, even if you do try harder.......

City Manager Bartolotta held a brief news conference following Abbott's resignation statement to introduce the new chief of police: Lou Costello.


Ironically, Costello had worked with Abbott for many years, until the two decided to go their separate ways in 1957. "Gee, 1957, huh? It's hard to believe it was that long ago," said the 104-year old Costello.

Costello wowed the Sarasota City Commission when introduced to them with his timeless "Who's On First" comedy routine with Bartolotta clearly struggling to fill the role of Costello's former partner, Abbott. Although the City Manager gamely delivered his lines, he was obviously out of his element as he labored with the rapid-fire timing and other comedic nuances of the classic routine. Commissioner for District One, Fredd "Glossie" Atkins, however, was not amused and expressed his disappointment with Costello's brand of humor, stating, "I'm not sure, but that sounded like it might have had certain racial overtones, so I'll be witholding my judgment on the candidate until I get a few questions answered. For example, was the outfielder named 'Tomorrow' a white man or a black man? I figured the first-baseman was Asian because his name was "Hoo," the second-baseman "Watt" could be either, but I'm stumped by "Tomorrow." I ain't never heard of no ballplayer named 'Tomorrow.'"

When asked if he would be asking the former chief for advice about his new position, Costello literally brought down the house when he slipped on a Sarasota Police Dept. cap, picked up a telephone and exclaimed ""HEEEEYYY ABBOTT!!."


The Commissioners and assembled media roared at the famous line and fell into convulsions of laughter, essentially adjourning the meeting. Costello then went over and introduced himself personally to each of the commissioners and posed for photographs with them.

Later, newly-appointed mayor, Kelly Kirschner, privately told friends that he wasn't exactly sure about the new police chief. "I thought they told me they were hiring "Elvis Costello." I wasn't sure what Elvis Costello knew about police work, but I figured it would be really cool having him as police chief, anyway........"

City And County Change Mind About Trying To Woo Hollywood To Come To Sarasota; Now "They Can Go To Hell..."

Sarasota City and County Commissions were falling all over themselves recently in an attempt to convince Tinseltown that we were ready for our close-up. They wined and dined Hollywood producers, they promoted the Sarasota Film Festival as a love fest for all things cinema, they thought about giving away the venerable Municipal Auditorium to the Ringling College of Artsy-Fartsy for a buck, to be converted into a sound stage for film makers (at least until the public outcry convinced them that such a move would be political suicide) and have, in general, drooled over the potential windfall that they thought being Hollywood East would bring them.

But no more.

Sarasota has had enough and we are in a snit. And, if anybody knows their "snit," it's Sarasota.

Sarasota was a little miffed that favorite son, Kevin Biegel, co-producer of TV's "Cougartown" did not set the show in Sarasota, but opted, instead, for an unnamed mystery town south of Sarasota. But we contented ourselves just to see the name of our fair city on the hand-drawn map in the opening credits every week.

Last fall, we reveled in the visit by the Travel Channel's "Man Vs. Food" and the glitzy "CSI: Sarasota" intro that played up, albeit briefly, the sun, the sand, the surf that is Sarasota. But, that, too, was tempered by the fact that, instead of focusing on the fine dining and haute cuisine for which the area is famous, the show featured Yoder's Amish Restaurant (OK, it's an institution), the Salty Dog (concentrating on the eatery's famous deep-fried hot dog) and, dear God, help us, the 4:20 Cafe. Located in that hub of culture and cuisine known as Gulf Gate, the 4:20 Cafe is impressively located just up the street from the car wash and nestled steps away from a handful of seedy bars and, of course, the ever-popular Zone d'Erotica.
The specialty of the house at the 4:20 Cafe is an array of gigantic sub sandwiches containing hamburger patties, cheese sticks, chicken nuggets, glops of melted cheese, a heaping serving of cholesterol and early death, gluttony and assorted other deadly sins and anything else they can find lying around in the kitchen that isn't still moving. What an advertisement for Sarasota, the Cultural Capital of Southwest Florida!

The final straw came this past weekend, though, with a skit on Saturday Night Live that featured actress Betty White. Entitled "CSI: Sarasota," it poked fun at our abundance of senior citizens. Who says art doesn't imitate life?

Sarasotans are up in arms over the perceived slight and have now severed all ties with the movement to bring Hollywood to the Suncoast.

Said one spurned commissioner, "First, that fat bastard, Adam Richman, shows up in town to tape a show about some third-rate dive named after an overt drug reference that caters to the drunks of the bar crowd that frequent that cesspool called Gulf Gate and now, that old broad, Betty White, makes fun of the whole town by pointing out that we're old. What do they think, we wouldn't stay up after 8:30 on Saturday night and find out?"

"Well, actually, I didn't see it myself. We came home after our regular early-bird dinner, watched Lawrence Welk in our matching La-Z-Boys and were in bed by 8:15 on Saturday. But my grandson from up north called me on Sunday to tell me about it."

The City of St. Petersburg is said to be currently mulling a lawsuit against Sarasota, claiming infringement on St. Pete's unofficial title of "God's Waiting Room."