(By Joe Kukura) From the “We’ve watched this twenty times over today” department, footage from last night’s Scripps National Spelling Bee where little Sameer Mishra above thinks he’s been asked to spell a dirty schoolyard taunt, then repeats this dirty schoolyard in front of his mom, a national tv audience, and to the perky fake blond sideline reporter backstage. Best of all, he spells his way of this jam and goes on to win......

If you’re anything like us, you’ll get unnecessarily riled up woot-woot-ing for the Bay Area in any kind of regional representation-structured contest. If there’s a competition and any kind of trophy involved, screw it – we’re down. Add to that the factor that these kids are totally cute as hell with their awful posture and adorable lack of telegenic savvy, and the Scripps National Spelling Bee – the Super Bowl of these things – makes great entertainment. ...