The Skinny: After being turned down by the first eight head coaching candidates they targeted, the best the Buffalo Bills could do was settle for was the no-name, no-game, has-been coach. The Bills’ brass claimed they were looking for an offensive-minded candidate with head coaching experience and sure enough, they found one. Albeit one whose NFL resume features only two years of modest achievement (18-14 with the Dallas Cowboys from 1998-99) over ten years ago.

Verdict: That deflating sound you hear is the collective enthusiasm of Bills fans everywhere as they look to another era of irrelevance and mediocrity. I mean, talk about an unispiring hire. The Week in Review was tempted to insert a joke about the Bills having to settle for taking the ugly girl to the prom here, until we realized that the Bills ARE the ugly girl. We’re currently taking bets on how soon a billboard demanding owner Ralph Wilson fire the coach goes up on the 190. Thirty minutes, tops.

The Skinny: On Jan. 17 the Manhattan attorney became the first Republican to formally announce his candidacy for the nomination to challenge for Democrat Kristin Gillibrand’s Senate seat in November. Blakeman made a visit to Buffalo on Jan. 20 as part of fund raising efforts upstate.

Verdict: The upset victory of teabagger Scott Brown in Massachusetts proved that even once airtight Democrat strongholds were susceptible to Republican insurgents. Blakeman now has a ready-made gameplan for how to transform the mass of angry, white and scared voters in New York from blue to crazy. This race is about to get interesting... and downright frightening.

Chris Collins' Integrity

State assemblyman Joseph Errigo (R-Henrietta) flat out called Erie County Executive Chris Collins a liar (“He’s a liar.”) on Jan. 14 for his efforts to explain the controversial lap dance remark he made to a woman. Seriously, does this guy have a filter?

Fabulous! Snow

A ruptured pipe leaking red dye No. 40 at the old Buffalo Color plant was the culprit behind pink snow appearing in the Seneca-Babcock neighborhood on Jan. 14. No word yet if Republicans have decried the snow’s “promotion of an alternative lifestyle”.

Obscure Sports

On Jan. 17 Buffalo native Steve Mesler was officially named to the Team USA bobsled team competeing at the winter Olympics in Vancouver. With those wacky Jamaicans having failed to qualify this year, you have no reason not to root for the U-S-of-A!

Mother of the Year

A Buffalo mother was charged with assault and child endangerment on Jan. 18 for drugging her daughter to sleep with allergy medication so that she could go out partying and smoke crack rock. Here’s to the warm and fuzzy memories of youth.

Must See TV

A bill sponsored by Buffalo councilman Mickey Kearns on Jan. 19 would look into the feasibility of televising Common Council meetings on cable. The Week in Review has always felt the corruption and ineptitude of City Hall would make for a great dramatic series.

Millions of dollars in surplus cash for the city of Buffalo’s 2008-2009 fiscal year. In an announcement on Jan. 15 by comptroller Andy SanFilippo, the city reported the increase of $5.3 million over last year’s record surplus. When combined with the $33.6 million “rainy day” fund, the city now has almost $82 million in emergency funds, a total which would be higher if not for $57 million in anticipated costs, such as pending court cases.