I preface this with the wise words of Sam Elliott’s character in “The Big Lebowski”: “They call Los Angeles the city of angels. I didn’t find it to be that exactly. Although I’ll allow there are some nice folks there.” That is, I’m enjoying my new city, and I’m just poking fun here. It’s not like I haven’t rhapsodized on the same kinds of idiosyncrasies you’ll find in the South. With that said: 1) Everything you’ve heard about …

Big news from the Young household, friends! No, I'm not pregnant. But Shelley and I are taking a big step nonetheless. Last week, I accepted a job in Los Angeles, as a copy chief at FOXSports.com. Very soon, the Left Coast will be our new home! And yes ... we'll be near the In-N-Out Burger. My first day on the job is less than a month away. I'll be flying out of Columbia on Dec. 16. We are by turns excited, overwhelmed and a little scared, just like after a viewing of "The Deathly Hallows." We …

As a newly minted husband, I accept that I’ve got a lot to learn. In fact, my wife keeps a list. She keeps several, actually, but I don’t mind. And I’ll even let you in on a little secret--I love being married. As you’d expect, this has a lot to do with the fact that Shelley and I love each other very much. But for me, it's not just about love. It's not just about partnership, either, though I’m positively thrilled to have found such an exceptional one. It’s also about …

Yes, Alvin Greene's victory in the S.C. Democratic primary for U.S. Senate is embarrassing. But if you ask me, it's much ado about nothing. It doesn't really matter in the end. Does anyone think Vic Rawl, his opponent in the primary, could have beaten Republican incumbent Jim DeMint in November anyway? Not in this state. From that standpoint, the media's lapse in coverage (of both Greene and Rawl) was understandable and maybe even forgivable. As for how a candidate with no fundraising apparatus, name …

Even in death, "Lost" may still manage to confound fans, frustrate critics, obfuscate truths, and just generally flip us all the bird. The Associated Press reports that a satellite known as Galaxy 15, recently damaged in a solar storm, is careening toward another satellite called AMC 11, which delivers programs for U.S. cable channels. If they get too close to each other, television signals could become scrambled. If they hit each other, the fallout could be much more dramatic. Wreckage will …

Beatles or Stones? Ford or Chevy? Hulk Hogan or Ric Flair? They say you have to pick a side, and when it comes to the dog-vs.-cat debate, I've always found myself squarely in the canine corner. Dogs have more personality, you can attach a leash to them without getting mauled, and unlike felines, they aren't picky about when they'll accept affection. A pooch will never turn down a good belly rub (neither will I). But when I moved in with my wife--who has always had at least two cats living in her home--I …

Words do no justice in describing what it's like being a Gamecocks sports fan. There's just no succinct term that encompasses our full gamut of experience--heart-wrenching dejection; colossal and congenital disappointment; intractable futility; fortunes that are so ridiculously star-crossed as to be comedic. When it comes to college football, I struggle with deciding whether it's better to own a lifetime .500 mark--pretty much Webster's definition of “mediocrity”--or whether I'd rather …

Three months ago I was vacationing on the coast of my home state, enjoying one of the simple yet too-often-overlooked pleasures of living in South Carolina--its bucolic, bountiful, accessible beaches. My first stop was in Charleston, which--let’s face it--is my state’s crown jewel. Its residents certainly breathe rarified air, but they come by it honestly. There’s a kind of buoyant magic in that city, and when you’re there you can’t decide whether you’re moving …

My name is Kenley Young, and I just might kill health care reform. Please don’t get me wrong. I’m a liberal, I support a public option, and I’m in love with Rachel Maddow, even though she won’t return my calls. If wanting universal health care for Americans is “socialist,” then Marx me down for it in red ink, comrade. I’m not TRYING to kill the plan to fix health care. Nevertheless, I’m part of the reason it might get drowned in the tub. Why? Sadly, …

I turn 30 this year. When Michael Jackson's "Thriller" was released, I was 4. So in the hours after his passing, I found myself wondering, "How big of a deal could this sad freak show really be to people?" I mean, when Jackson was Moonwalking, I was learning to tie my shoes. But then I started to scan my memory banks. And, a few hours later, I moved on to Google, where suddenly it hit me like a high-pitched "Scham-on!" If, like me, you ever need proof of how important …