Sarah Palin bashed Barack Obama, which most pundits didn't expect, or advise. She also lobbed some decent punchlines at the talking head class, and for that, we appreciate her. But how did the folks who are paid to over-analyze these type of things, and who were on the receiving end of her taunts, respond to her words?

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Behind-the-scenes screamer Laura Ingraham has re-upped with a multi-year deal with Talk Radio Network. Who has details on how much this baby is worth? For comparison, remember Sean Hannity's $100 million 5-year deal. [Radio Info via CB]

Harry Shearer, who brought you the Katie Couric clip reel, is back with not-for-air footage from Laura Ingraham, the Fox News fill-in who scored her own show in June that is, uh, already finished. "Jesus, God in heaven," Ingraham can be heard saying, in between complaining about the proper spelling of the word "the" and yelling at a "Jessica" about how "ridiculous" some of their screw ups have been. And where's Tom? And don't come in her ear.

We don't know how they do it, but they do, and it. Is. Fucking. Astonishing.

The maniacs at Fox News somehow put together an earnest segment in which giggly hack Laura Ingraham talks to ACTOR Stephen Baldwin about just why the heck these loudmouth celebrities think they can go around expressing their opinions. We're pretty good at sensing irony, and there is NONE in either of their voices. Not even when Stephen, who, by the way, is the one not as smart as Alec, not as handsome as Billy and not as rugged as Daniel, says, "Here's what's freaky to me: The media and Hollywood is so convinced that mainstream America cares what it thinks." !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

God, we hope this guy's not kidding when he says he's leaving if Obama wins.

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Fans of Laura Ingraham, the conservative radio host, have been able to deal with his disappearance from radio airwaves by tuning into her 5pm guest spot on Fox News. That hasn't settled fears, however, that she'll be back on the dial anytime soon, thanks to a contract dispute with Talk Radio Network, which locked her out of her Washington studio as the two parties wrap up a nasty contract negotiation. Though "negotiation" might be too strong a word — there doesn't seem to be much talking going on about her deal, which expires in September and, until that date, prevents Ingraham from talking to other potential radio employers. Many fans worried that his absence from her regular radio slot was health-related; fears resurfaced that she was once again dealing with a her bout of breast cancer. But she wants to assure fans that her health has nothing to do with the matter: Her cold, dead heart is doing just fine.

"Laura Ingraham told Don Imus yesterday morning on WABC (770 AM) that her show is running best-of programs now because of 'a contract issue that I can't talk about.' She said she's confident it will be resolved soon. WABC carries her on tape delay at 10 p.m." [NYDN]

Fox News will audition Laura Ingraham, among others, to find a new host for its 5pm show, currently occupied by Bill Hemmer and Megyn Kelly's America’s Election HQ, whose shelf life is almost up. If she gets the job, Ingraham, a regular O'Reilly fill-in, won't have to make too many waves: FNC's 5pm hour already averages 200k in the demo, compared to CNN's 194k and MSNBC's 176k.

What do we like about CBS News' Lara Logan more than her accent? How adamantly she defends the media's reporting from Iraq on Howard Kurtz's show — and her demanding Laura Ingraham shut her trap and report from Iraq. You know, even though Ingraham already did.