In an attempt to be “edgy,” singer Nicki Minaj did the most banal thing possible at the Grammys on Feb. 12. She mocked the Roman Catholic Church in a live performance of her new song “Roman Holiday.” Her anti-Catholic mishmash of a performance came with the support of the group that produced the Grammys, The Recording Academy.

Rapper Nicki Minaj gave a sacrilegious performance mocking a host of Catholic rituals and practices, including the sacrament of confession and the rite of exorcism. Her performance began in a confessional, snarling at a “priest” as if she were possessed. (Video available here)

During a lengthy Morning Joe discussion about the growing contraceptive controversy, co-host Mika Brzezinski took issue with the Wall Street Journal’s Peggy Noonan saying the Obama administration is “mischievously” misinforming the public on this issue.

Noonan smartly responded with a much-needed lesson on exactly how the White House and the Left are dishonestly twisting this subject for political gain (video follows with transcribed highlights and commentary):

Appearing as a guest on Saturday's Fox and Friends, actor and conservative talk radio host Stephen Baldwin criticized President Obama for daring to second guess Catholic Church doctrine in trying to force Catholic employers to provide contraceptive coverage for their employees. As he was preparing to speak at the CPAC convention in Washington, D.C., he also talked up GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum who has enjoyed a recent string of electoral victories. (Video below)

After being asked about the contraception mandate, Baldwin went after Obama:

On CNN's Sunday show State of the Union, anchor Candy Crowley again brought tough questions to a Democrat about President Obama's plan to impose on a burden on Catholic-affiliated schools, hospitals, and charities to subsidize contraception, sterilization, and abortifacients. New chief of staff Jacob Lew was asked if as an observant Jew, "was there anything about this that made you think twice when it first went out?" Lew athletically dodged that question.

Crowley also asied if he could say "with a straight face that the insurance company's going to pick up the cost of this"? Lew dodged that as well.  She didn't quite get to the point of civil libertarians that if a Catholic entity enters into a contract with an insurer, and the premium it pays includes funding for contraceptives, it doesn't matter if the violation of conscience is imposed by Washington through a back door.

On Friday, the Daily Caller reported that Occupy movement protesters at CPAC were being paid $60 a day to be there. (Here I thought the left was really motivated these days. Guess not.)

At the self-described Essential Global News Network known as the Associated Press, this fact and other inconvenient items about the movement's pathetic efforts at and around CPAC are being ignored. Before demonstrating that, I'll identify what the additional embarrassments are.

On February 2, Blake Ellis at CNN Money (HT to a NewsBusters tipster), in an item which treated minor regulatory changes relating to annuities as some kind of "rescue plan" for retirees, gave President Obama credit for "measures ... (he) has put in place to help Americans save for retirement, including automatic enrollment in 401(k)s." There's no word on whether Ms. Ellis also believes that Obama hung the moon, but it wouldn't surprise me if that were the case.

Somebody needs to tell Ms. Ellis that a "History of 401(k) Plans" published by the Employee Benefits Research Institute seven years ago tells us that the critical dates relating to employers' ability to automatically enroll new and eventually existing employees in their 401(k) plans (subject to the employee's ability to proactively decline if he or she chooses) go back to 1998 and 2000, many years before Obama was sworn in as a U.S. Senator (bolds are mine):

This keeps up, I won't feel so guilty watching reruns of  "The West Wing."

Lawrence O'Donnell made a pointed observation on his cable show Thursday night that came across as helpfully illuminating -- and more than a tad passive-aggressive when juxtaposed with what MSNBC colleague Rachel Maddow said only an hour earlier. (video after page break)

Fresh off her rousing keynote address to the Conservative Political Action Conference Saturday, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin sat down with Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday.

When her host brought up the soon to be released HBO film "Game Change" about amongst other things her travails during the 2008 presidential campaign and suggested they watch a video clip, Palin cutely asked, "Must we?" (video follows with transcript and commentary):