Last Friday, I was a guest on Michael Graham’s popular talk radio show, which airs from 3-7 p.m., on 96.9 WTKK. I was participating in the final hour of his broadcast–the “That’s a Wrap” segment–during which Graham and other pundits recap some of the news stories of the week. The other guest that night was the great Charlie Hall, the brainchild of the uproarious Mass Hysteria, a “musical, satirical cabaret that pokes fun at the local goings-on, personalities, and politics of Massachusetts.” After the broadcast, Hall was kind enough to extend an invitation to my boyfriend and me to come to the next day’s show for a free viewing, which, of course, I could not resist.

Mass Hysteria isn’t new to Beantown–it debuted more than 15 years ago, receiving rave reviews from critics and audiences alike. Eventually, Hall, a Rhode Island native known affectionately by many as the “Rhode Island State Jester,” put the show on hiatus, deciding to focus his attention on his other creation, Ocean State Follies, a similarly-themed musical spoof about Rhode Island. Perhaps inspired by recent absurdities here in our glorious, uber-liberal, scandal-plagued Commonwealth of Massachusetts (umm … three consecutive speakers of the house thrown in jail?), Hall, a stand-up comic by trade who has appeared on such programs as the Joan Rivers Show, Caroline’s Comedy Hour, America’s Funniest People  and Star Search ’93 (he was a semi-finalist!), felt the timing was ripe in the Bay State for a return to the roast.

“There’s something incestuous about the big cities in New England,” said Hall in an email to me. “We all seem to know each other, are related to each other–it breeds corruption. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining: Without it I’d have no show!”

I had never heard of Mass Hysteria–surprising, given my affinity for politics and the nonsensical folly it often engenders–but Graham couldn’t stop raving about how funny it was, filling me with high hopes for a night full of delicious Schadenfreude as my boyfriend and I headed over to the back room of Club Café this past Saturday night for the 7:30 p.m. performance.

It just so happened that Hall, who greeted us at the door, was starring in the show that night as one of the main performers–one of his cast members had to bow out to commemorate the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt. But the show must go on! Luckily, Hall knew the material cold–after all, he scripted each of the acts and wrote the lyrics to all of the songs–and had a decent singing voice to boot.

The show kicked off with a number on the oh-so-despicable tradition of corruption in Massachusetts, setting up the tone and direction for what was to come. The regular cast members present on Saturday–Tom Berry, Danielle Hecht and Krystal Bly–performed excellently throughout. Given their acting chops, great comedic timing and superb vocal skills, one might wonder why Broadway hasn’t come calling.

Each song was set to a familiar tune, making the sentiment and lyrics even funnier. Cases in point: a Catherine Gregg-Gisele Bundchen duet, played by Hecht and Bly, respectively, made use of Tammy Wynette’s famous tune “Stand By Your Man;” and a biting spoof of Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray’s recent driving mishap, during which he says he fell asleep at the wheel, was set to The Chordettes’ “Mr. Sandman.”

While the show often dealt with various incidents involving state corruption, many acts focused on more lighthearted subjects. Hall’s skits poked fun at all things Massachusetts, from notable politicians (and wannabes), such as Mitt Romney, Elizabeth Warren, Joseph Kennedy III (portrayed hilariously by Berry as an overly ebullient, dunderhead schoolboy who giggles and fumbles awkwardly), Tom “Mumbles” Menino, and Bawney Fwwank (“My Bawney Lies Over the Ocean”) to established institutions and landmarks, such as the MBTA, the completely unremarkable paint-stained gas tank on Route 93 and the Citgo sign, the four beloved Boston sports teams, and the One, the Only … Dunkin’ Donuts. Issues such as the ruckus over gay marriage and casinos (“comiiiing to town”) were also satirized.

Of all the bits during Saturday’s performance, two were, hands down, the funniest: The first was a number featuring Hall as a resurrected Ted Kennedy (a dubious halo hovering above his head, a margarita in hand), flanked by two angels, singing altered lyrics to the tune of “Jesus Christ Superstar”; the second, a pee-in-your-pants skit featuring Berry as a knucklehead professor of “Bostonics,” in which he helped the audience understand, through the use of flash cards, the often-confusing phonics of the Boston accent. My boyfriend and I were in legitimate hysterics.

I highly recommend Mass Hysteria. The acting, comedy, and singing are marvelous, and it feels great to support an unpretentious, grassroots production. There will be a few more shows in April at Club Café (check out www.masshysteriathemusical.com for the schedule), but Hall is looking for additional venues in the coming months. The cast will perform pretty much anywhere (private parties, business meetings or fundraisers) they are hired to go–except Mitt Romney’s backyard.

Saying the “nation needs Romney,” The Boston Herald endorsed former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney for the Republican presidential nomination today.

“There is only one candidate in the Republican field with the integrity, the experience, the organizational strength and the intelligence to beat Barack Obama and that man is Mitt Romney,” the paper wrote in an editorial. “But perhaps more to the point, there is only one candidate who can put this nation back on the path to fiscal sanity and restore it to its central role on the world stage. That candidate is Mitt Romney.”

The news comes as Romney has begun to emerge as the frontrunner for the nomination in a recent Boston Globe poll.

“I don’t think the answer to our economic woes is to raise taxes,” he told Herald editors and reporters at a recent meeting. “People are already paying half of their income in taxes [to every level of government].

“Government is simply taking too large a slice out of our economy,” he added.

Round-table-style GOP debate at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. Photo: Associated Press

Tuesday’s Bloomberg/Washington Post Republican debate at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire earned further momentum for ex-pizza CEO Herman Cain, who has been gaining attention in the past few weeks with his “9-9-9 plan.” The tax plan would mandate a flat 9% rate on income, corporations, and the national sales tax. What initially seemed like a rhetorical gimmick for the previously mocked presidential hopeful actually seemed to hold water under scrutiny from Rick Perry and Mitt Romney, the other two major players at this juncture.

With voting in the state likely to start in the new few weeks, the session went relatively smoothly. Charlie Rose moderated, keeping the tone more business-like and less of a melee than past debates, and the candidates sat a table, allowing for a discussion atmosphere without as much outright campaigning. The subdued tone was also partially due to Rick Perry’s calmness throughout the evening: his typical fire was noticeably absent, and he was somehow able to turn almost every question he was asked into an argument for energy independence. Perhaps after criticism about his often-fumbling debate style, his advisors believed that silence was golden. This tactic didn’t necessarily make him look like the smartest guy in the room, but it didn’t make him look like the dumbest (a key factor in this crowd). Plus, his promise of putting 1.2 million Americans to work in the energy industry didn’t sound half bad, if he can swing it.

Romney remained comfortable and smooth in the economic debate, taking flak for his 160-page economic plan from Cain (who once notoriously touted the evils of having to read too much) and turning the question into one of his shining moments of the evening.    When Cain asked Romney whether his 59-point plan was “simple, transparent, efficient, fair and neutral,” Romney actually summed it up in under a minute.  The plan focused on “trade policies that open up new markets to American goods” and implementing policies that get Americans back to work.

Romney sat on his lead. He held strong and came out looking like the sharpest of the group. The clear focus of the debate’s attention though, was the presumed new second place candidate. A noteworthy chunk of the entire chat was spent either listening to Cain talking about his plan, or listening to the other candidates try to poke holes in it. Herman Cain, the candidate who seemed to get written-off early in the race, had the evening’s attention, and therefore, the evening itself.

Still, GOP voters have proven fickle thus far. If the Cain praising turns out to be just his fifteen minutes of Republican fame as it was for Perry and Bachman in the very recent past, last night’s debate won’t end up hurting Romney’s chances for the nomination.

Former governor Mitt Romney was attacked by a passenger on an Air Canada flight Monday morning.

The former 2008 Republican presidential hopeful had been in Vancouver since Friday for the Winter Olympics, was attacked as he was leaving Vancouver with his wife, Ann According to Eric Fehrnstrom , Romney’s spokesman, Romney, 62, reportedly asked the passenger sitting in front of his wife to raise his seat during takeoff after the passenger had reclined his seat. The man allegedly became violent and took a swing at the former 2008 presidential hopeful.

A Canadian newspaper, The Globe and Mail, first reported the story, saying that Romney was "physically threatened" by a passenger.

"Gov. Romney did not retaliate, but instead allowed the airline crew to respond to the incident," Fehrnstrom said in a statement.

Romney was not injured. The pilot returned to the gate, and the suspect was removed from the plane by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The same plane took off a short time later and later landed safety in Los Angeles.

Romney was the head of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics and was an honored guest at the 2010 games.

Former Massachusetts Governor, Republican Mitt Romney will suspend his campaign, effectively ending his run for president.

“I must now stand aside, for our party and our country,” Romney said during a speech in Washington Thursday.

The move means Senator John McCain has all but won the nomination.

Romney suffered a string of embarrassing third place defeats in the South, where he was banking on conservative votes on Super Tuesday. Instead, it was former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee who won nearly all the southern races. Huckabee still trails Romney in the delegate counts, but McCain has a commanding lead over both.

“This is not an easy decision for me. I hate to lose. My family, my friends and our supporters … many of you right here in this room … have given a great deal to get me where I have a shot at becoming President,” Romney said. “If this were only about me, I would go on. But I entered this race because I love America.”

McCain leads with 707 delegates, to 294 for Romney and 195 for Huckabee. It takes 1,191 to win the nomination at the Republican convention in St. Paul, Minn in the summer.

“I disagree with Senator McCain on a number of issues, as you know. But I agree with him on doing whatever it takes to be successful in Iraq, on finding and executing Osama bin Laden, and on eliminating al-Qaida and terror,” Romney said.

Romney has been attacked from the start for flip-flopping on a number of key conservative issues.

Going into Super Tuesday, the closest thing we have to a national primary, Romney labeled McCain as a liberal and claimed he was the clear conservative choice in the Republican Party. He was aided by conservative pundits like Rush Limbaugh, who said he would vote for Hillary Clinton if McCain was the Republican nominee.

The world waits with baited breath to see if he follows through. But a serious question remains as to whether or not McCain can rally the whole party to his cause.

Video courtesy/The Boston Globe

WASHINGTON — Senator John McCain, in a tight race, has won the all-or-nothing Republican primary in Florida.

Over the past few weeks, since his victories in both South Carolina and in New Hampshire, McCain has begun to emerge as something of a steamroller. Depending on how he fares on February 5, in what is as close to a national primary as possible, he could likely secure the nomination in a few weeks.

McCain won all 57 of Florida’s delegates after winning 35 percent of the vote. In Florida, McCain received the endorsements of wildly popular Republican Governor Charlie Crist, and Republican Senator Mel Martinez.

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney came in second place with 31% of the vote. Romney, despite his second place finishes (with wins in Michigan, Nevada and Wyoming), has enough money to ensure that this campaign carries on and will not likely concede the nomination anytime before the last primary in June.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani finished a disappointing third after throwing all of his resources of the past month into the Florida primary.

Sources say Giuliani will drop out of the race tomorrow at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California and endorse McCain. Despite tensions among the other candidates, the two have always been respectful of one another.

Only Senator Hillary Clinton campaigned in the delegateless Florida primary. She claimed victory at a rally on Tuesday night. The Democratic party stripped Florida of its delegates for holding an early primary.

The nation now turns to February 5, where over 20 states will hold their primaries.

Stick with Blast and our Politics with a Touch of Class blog!

Mitt Romney has won the Michigan Republican Primary.

Stick with our Politics With a Touch of Class blog for details!

From our Washington reporter:

Rumors have it that if Romney doesn’t do well tonight, this could make or break his campaign – the man has millions so I don’t understand but coming out of Iowa and NH with a couple second place wins and a "gold medal" from Wyoming, his support seems to be waning [...]

Blast Magazine Washington reporter Heidi Buchanan, a former congressional intern and 2004 alternate Vermont delegate at the Democratic National Convention, will be providing blog coverage of the 2008 presidential campaign starting next week.

Moving forward from their victory in Iowa, both Illinois Senator Barack Obama and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee face the challenge of translating their early success into momentum which will sustain their candidacies through the remainder of the primaries.

Senator Obama won the Democratic Iowa Caucus’s on Thursday night with 38% of the vote. In second place, former North Carolina Senator John Edwards came out with 30% of the vote with Edwards having a slight edge over Senator Clinton in third place with 29%.

On the GOP side, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee won with 34% of the vote with former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney taking second place with 25% of the vote. Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson and Arizona Senator John McCain tied for third with 13% of the vote.

Both winners are widely seen as the "likable" candidates out of the wide playing field of presidential hopefuls. However, historically Iowa has not been a reliable predictor of the eventual nominees. In recent New Hampshire polls for instance, Governor Huckabee has been polling in the single digits behind Senator McCain

The next primary in New Hampshire will bring the candidates in front of a different electorate. Whereas in Iowa, Huckabee relied heavily on his Evangelical beliefs, religious values tend not to be as important to New Hampshire voters. It’s an open question whether Huckabee can broaden his appeal beyond the self described Evangelical and born again Christians responsible for his rise to the top tier in Iowa.

Ultimately, the most important factor that Iowa serves is to narrow down the field of candidates in the race — by the end of the night two Democrats, Delaware Senator Joe Biden and Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd, ended their bids for the presidency, and no doubt several other may follow suit in the coming days.

Blast Magazine staff writer John Guilfoil contributed to this report.

This was Blast’s live coverage, updated throughout the night of the Iowa caucuses.

In the Iowa Democratic caucus, Barack Obama has won over former senator and vice presidential nominee John Edwards and Senator Hillary Clinton. Clinton is likely to finish in third place in a 37, 30, 30 close race.

In the rural , 95 percent white state, Obama has made a broad statement going forward.

The Associated Press has called the Democratic poll for near 9:30 p.m. Thursday.

This is terrible news for John Edwards, who many feel needed a win in Iowa to maintain his strength in the Democratic race. He has little funding left, and won’t get much of a bonus after barely sneaking away with second place.

Blast Magazine has learned that Senator Chris Dodd (Conn.) will drop out of the race. Senator Joe Biden also announced near 11:30 p.m. Thursday that he would leave the race.

On the right side of the aisle, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has won the Republican straw poll.

NBC and CNN called the race shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday.

Huckabee beat out former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney by nearly 10 percentage points.

Fred Thompson finished third while John McCain was down in fourth.

Rudy Giuliani is not campaigning in Iowa.

Huckabee was outspent 15:1 in Iowa. “People are more important than the purse,” he said during his victory speech.

“Tonight the people of Iowa made a choice, and their choice was clear; their choice was for a change,” Huckabee said.

Huckabee will certainly find financial support in the coming days leading up to New Hampshire — whether his momentum will propel him remains to be seen.

Blast Magazine staff writers Heidi Buchanan and John Guilfoil contributed to this report.