OK, OK, I got sucked in and actually watched "Greater Boston" and its expose on Balloon Boy.

Beats me, but Emily Rooney will be discussing the case tonight on "Greater Boston," which describes itself as tackling "the region's top news stories with original reporting and comprehensive analysis."

So I look forward to her "in-depth discussions with guests from diverse perspectives" (in this case, two lawyers she dug up) that will take us "beyond the day's headlines," such as, oh, letting her explain her fantasy about punching Balloon Boy's mom in the face and knocking all her teeth out, because right now, that's about the only original thing about this case that's gone untackled.

Rooney rants; remains amazed that a mere blog could break news.

WBUR should either finally hire him so people can start donating to WGBH instead or they should announce they're not hiring him so people can stop getting heartburn.

Speaking of 'GBH, Emily Rooney kvetches about the lack of substance on local newscasts these days and fantasizes about marching into some local newsroom and shaking things up. Apparently, Rooney doesn't remember the days when WGBH had its own local newscast. Instead of complaining how vapid the commercial newscasts are, why not restart it? Isn't public television supposed to provide intelligent alternatives to commercial TV? Or has it all come down to Peter, Paul and Mary concerts during Pledge Week?