It's Finally Friday!

We made it through this week without another major celebrity passing, though we did endure the endless coverage of Michael Jackson's demise (no, it's not over yet), and the soon-to-be ex-governor who just won't go away.

And on Monday, the Supreme Court will enter the television spotlight as the confirmation hearings begin for Judge Sonia Sotomayor.

We're hearing the discouraging news about the Blue Dog Democrats trying to delay or derail health care reform, and we just cannot let that happen!

Tonight on my Air America radio show, I'll spend the first hour with Dr. Ogan Gurel, a Harvard and Columbia educated physician who is currently in the middle of a 700-mile month-long trek from Chicago to Washington D.C., his way of calling attention to the stories of hardship and inequity that persist in our healthcare system. He's using his blog to update his progress, and post the stories of the people he's met along the way.



As we officially usher in the weekend, we'll spend the second hour together with a man who personified rock and roll. Lonn Friend was editor-in-chief of RIP magazine during its heyday, and as such was there for the rise and stardom of bands including Metallica, Guns n Roses, Bon Jovi and many more. His memoir, Life on Planet Rock: From Guns N' Roses to Nirvana, a Backstage Journey through Rock's Most Debauched Decade, was released three years ago tomorrow.

Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll, and politics too...