Hangover

Yes, there are enough impure thoughts in director Todd Phillips' dastardly black comedy to put you into a confessional for years, whether you're Catholic or not. Still, in the realm of guilty pleasures, it's hard to beat the brilliant perversion of "The Hangover" for pure fun. After a bachelor party at its drunken worst, we follow the groom's buddies through the rough ride of the morning after, when those splitting headaches prove to be the least of their problems.

Now that the debauched "Hangover" film franchise seems to have slowed, star Zach Galifianakis has been keeping himself occupied with his painfully, purposely awkward online talk show "Between Two Ferns. " Hosting his most recent guest - none other than President Obama -  Galifianakis delivered his usual mix of stilted conversation and deadpan insults that have made the show a Web favorite, but the commander in chief matched him joke for joke. Galifianakis, for example, asked Obama what it's like to be "the last black president" and followed up by noting that he can't run for a third term.

ABOARD THE ROMNEY PLANE -- Mitt Romney placed the blame for Friday's weak jobs report squarely on President Obama, charging that his Democratic rival for the White House "hasn't lived up to his promises and his policies haven't worked. " "If last night was the party, this morning is the hangover," Romney said in a statement that was released as the candidate flew from New Hampshire to Iowa for a rally on Friday morning. "For every net new job created, nearly four Americans gave up looking for work entirely.

NASHVILLE - By making their final impression before the Winter Olympics break another case of imposing their will at crunch time, the Ducks have nearly three weeks to savor their labor. "That was us," Ducks forward Corey Perry said of the three-goal, third-period binge that answered a Nashville Predators tying goal near the start of the period. "We didn't sit back and wait. We kept going at 'em. " That style defined the Ducks in their sprint to the NHL's best record (41-14-5)

For candidates, campaigners, consultants and donors, Tuesday night must feel a little like standing at the roulette table in a Las Vegas Casino. Bets are down and the wheel is spinning. Who will win, who will lose, no one knows until the wheel stops. Or rather, until the votes are counted. The days and weeks that follow must feel for the political professionals at least a little like the drive home across a long stretch of empty desert with bad cell phone reception, a nasty hangover and plenty of alone time to count the winnings, rue the losses and justify all kinds of very bad behavior.

Those who overindulge on a Vegas visit can seek relief without ever leaving the Strip at a new medical clinic at MGM Grand. REVIV  bills itself as a “hydration medspa.” It is staffed by a team of doctors, nurses and paramedics whose primary purpose is to treat dehydration, whether it's caused by overexertion in the summer heat or too much alcohol at an all-night party.  “In a bustling city like Las Vegas, people often become dehydrated...

Gearing up for a big night on New Year's Eve? One that will involve some drinking? Then maybe you need a little primer on hangovers, since you could be nursing one soon. You may already be familiar with the symptoms: The Mayo Clinic lists headache, nausea, vomiting, rapid heartbeat, thirst, not being able to concentrate and dizziness. What causes a hangover? Drinking too much, of course, which leads to a cascade of ill effects. Imbibing can lead to urinating more, says the clinic, which can cause dehydration, then thirst and possibly dizziness.

"Fast and Furious 6": 1, "Hangover Part III" director Todd Phillips: 0. The Memorial Day weekend box office results are in, and "Fast 6" flattened the Wolfpack's third outing by a 2-to-1 margin. Now Phillips -- like some of his film's characters -- may be wishing that he hadn't done what he did in Vegas. Back in April, before the public had the chance to weigh in on his film, Phillips took to the stage at the annual CinemaCon theater owners convention in Sin City and issued a challenge to his main box-office competition.  PHOTOS: Scenes from 'Hangover III' He knocked the wildly successful "Fast" series and its lead actors with an expletive-laden rant: “All these press people backstage are asking me, 'Are you nervous?

Ann Romney is on the record: She would like to see a woman as her husband's running mate. And so would any number of Republicans who are concerned about their party's standing with female voters. But for all the excitement that the topic stirs up, don't hold your breath: It's unlikely a woman will share the spotlight at the top of the GOP ticket. It's not for lack of qualified candidates - former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina and Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman are often mentioned - but because of the tortured legacy of one former nominee: the inimitable, unpredictable, irascible and, oh yeah, female former governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin.

Once again South Peyton Place (a.k.a. South Pasadena) dominated the front page of several newspapers over the past two weeks. No, it's not the freeway fight. There appear to have been a few skirmishes to see who's boss in a town that involves several factions. I'd like to comment on a headline in the Los Angeles Times, "No One's Satisfied in Aftermath of Party," (Oct. 4) and the soap opera story that followed. You don't have to be a bartender to know that mixing certain ingredients will probably result in a huge hangover.

The Wolf Pack is taking a bite out of the home entertainment market.  "The Hangover Part III," the final installment of the trilogy starring Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms, was the top-selling DVD and Blu-ray title in its first week in release, according to Rentrak.  The film grossed more than $112 million domestically at the box office and $351 million worldwide, which is less than each of the first two "Hangover" movies made....

UCLA's biggest challenge this week will be internal. The Bruins, fresh from an emotional and a come-from-behind victory over Nebraska, face lowly New Mexico State at the Rose Bowl on Saturday. The Aggies have not had a winning season since 2002. “We have to find a way to get focused for this game and find a way to play better,” said UCLA Coach Jim Mora. “There is a lot of areas for improvement on this football team. We got a vision here of what we want to be and we got to work at that every day.” That could serve as better motivation than trotting out the Aggies' football heritage.

Murray Gershenz, the record collector turned character actor, has died. The 91-year-old died of a heart attack Wednesday, a source close to Gershenz confirmed . Better known as “Music Man Murray,” Gershenz spent nearly three-quarters of a century collecting the more than 300,000 records that filled the dusty wooden shelves of his two-story West Adams record shop. From opera classics to big band, country western, jazz, R&B and rock and original Edison cylinder recordings, Gershenz always lived up to his business credo, “You name it, we find it.” The massive collection, and Gershenz's years-long plight to sell it, was the subject of a documentary film, “Music Man Murray,” which premiered last year.

Those who overindulge on a Vegas visit can seek relief without ever leaving the Strip at a new medical clinic at MGM Grand. REVIV  bills itself as a “hydration medspa.” It is staffed by a team of doctors, nurses and paramedics whose primary purpose is to treat dehydration, whether it's caused by overexertion in the summer heat or too much alcohol at an all-night party.  “In a bustling city like Las Vegas, people often become dehydrated...

Turns out the surf wasn't the only thing up in Huntington Beach on Sunday. First, the city hosted the U.S. Open of Surfing. Then, it hosted the U.S. Open of Rioting . And on Monday morning, it was hosting the U.S. Open of Cleaning Up. Gee, Gidget, bet you didn't see this coming! Mix hundreds of young people, alcohol, an all-day event and what do you get? Tequila Uprising. Sadly, though, this type of incident is all too common in today's sporting world. Rioting is now as much a part of championship celebrations as the parade.

“The Hangover Part III” might have been a flop, but that doesn't mean its premise won't be recycled in other movies again. And again. As we find out in the just-released trailer for "Last Vegas," the twist this time is to age the film's cast by 30 years. Robert De Niro functions as the new Bradley Cooper, Michael Douglas the new Ed Helms, Kevin Kline the new Justin Bartha, and Morgan Freeman the new Zach Galifianakis (yes, that's a lofty comparison) in the ensemble comedy coming out in November.

Oh, what a headache-inducing, unapologetic money grab we have in "The Hangover Part II. " By the time Bradley Cooper's Phil says, "You know the drill," and the guys start emptying their pockets in search of clues to the latest debacle, you'll be more inclined to groan than giggle. But then this sequel is about the ching, ching, not the comic arts. Me, I'm left with morning-after regrets. Lost is the fresh, perverse, painfully politically incorrect R-rated pleasure that came when "The Hangover" ate up the summer of 2009.

Would you want your surgeon to party hearty the night before you went under his scalpel? Probably not. Yet there are no rules on the amount of alcohol a surgeon may (or may  not) consume on the eve of a day in the operating room. This despite the fact that 42% of healthcare workers acknowledged having a hangover at work, according to a 1993 study. And among doctors, surgeons are known to have a particular fondness for drinking, according to some other studies and the casual observations of many physicians.

When "The Hangover Part III" opened with half as many ticket sales as its predecessor in May, it was clear American moviegoers had tired of the Wolf Pack.  But there was hope yet for Warner Bros. In the two years between the second and third "Hangover," the international marketplace expanded -- and the second installment had performed especially well for a R-rated comedy overseas. PHOTOS: Scenes from 'Hangover III' "If you look at the third movies of comedy trilogies -- 'Rush Hour,' 'Meet the Parents,' 'Austin Powers' -- honest to God, those movies tend to drop in their third film.

After the coffee. Before trying to persuade Netflix to make another season of "Men of a Certain Age. " The Skinny: So far I've gotten through seven episodes of "Arrested Development. " Unlike others who powered through all 15 like a kid with a pizza in front of them, I'm in no rush and at least like to pretend that I have a life. Plus, I need to have something to do next weekend. Tuesday's stories include a recap of the holiday weekend box office, a detailed look at the Hub, a kids' channel owned by Discovery and Hasbro, and the exit of Mike Darnell from Fox. If you are interested in receiving an email alert when the Morning Fix is live, please send me a note . Daily Dose: In advance of the split of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.