It seems like everybody has been taking shots at "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark," the $65 million extravaganza that is headed for Broadway later this month. Critics have savaged the production, calling it everything from "really, truly horrendously and unfixably bad down to its bones" to "a shrill, insipid mess."

Now who's stepping in to kick the Spider-Man while he's down? The Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The New York Times reports that on Friday, OSHA regulators cited the production for three serious workplace safety violations, proposing a fine of $12,000. They said show employees had been "exposed to the hazards of falls or being struck during flying routines because of improperly adjusted or unsecured safety harnesses." In four separate instances, cast members have been hurt in connection with the flying stunts.

Be forewarned: the language in the Onion video below is salty, but I can't resist posting it because I can only imagine it sumarizes how some federal managers must feel on a fairly regular basis:

Today, President Obama signed an executive order creating the White House Council for Community Solutions, with the aim of "providing advice to the president on solving specific community needs." The panel, according to the White House, has "three key functions: enlisting leaders in the non-profit, private, and philanthropic sectors to make progress on key policy goals; providing strategic input and recommendations to help the federal government promote greater innovation and cross-sector collaboration; and honoring and highlighting those making a significant impact in their own communities."

The 25-member council includes a wide array of accomplished individuals. But the Washington Post's Ed O'Keefe reports that one name stands out: rocker Jon Bon Jovi. "Looks like all those years of performing for Democratic candidates has paid off," O'Keefe writes.

Of course, who better than the author of such 80s classics as "Livin' on a Prayer," "You Give Love a Bad Name," and "Wanted Dead or Alive" to advise the president on community initiatives? And as for "cross-sector collaboration," this is a guy, after all, who worked together with country star Jennifer Nettles on the crossover hit, "Who Says You Can't Go Home."

Steve Carell became a huge star by helping turn the American version of the TV series The Office into a staple of NBC's Thursday-night lineup. But Carell is leaving the show at the end of this season. So what's next?

According to Deadline Hollywood's Michael Ausiello, the answer is another kind of office: the post office. Ausiello reports that NBC has bought a new half-hour sitcom developed by Carell based on his years as a letter carrier in Littleton, Mass. Apparently, the series will center on a group of small-town twenty-somethings who frequent the local post office. (Who does that any more?) Its tentative title is The Post-Graduate Project.

"Carell has referred to his experience as a mailman in interviews," writes Ausiello, "saying that he quit after a few months because his boss told him he was not very efficient."

(Hat tip: Atlantic Wire)

Hefty fines levied on professional athletes for various infractions are so routine these days that they almost seem like part of the cost of doing business. In fact, Los Angeles Lakers star forward Lamar Odom thinks that's exactly what they are: legitimate, tax-deductible business expenses. Forbes.com's William P. Barrett reports that Odom is challenging the IRS in federal court over its decision to deny his attempt to deduct $12,000 in fines levied by the NBA from his tax bill for 2007.

Odom also wants to deduct $178,000 he says he spent on efforts to get himself in shape to play basketball.

In a U.S. Tax Court filing, Odom declared that fines imposed on athletes "commonly assessed," "work-related" and "not imposed for the violation of any government law." Therefore, he argued, they are an "ordinary and necessary employee business expense." As for deducting the training expenses, Odom said that was legitimate because his NBA contract requires him to be in top physical condition.

So far, the IRS isn't buying. In a bill sent to Odom after he filed his initial tax return, the agency said, "We have disallowed some of the expenses you claimed as business expenses because it was determined they were personal expenses and not deductible."

Odom may be fighting his tax bill on principle, but he probably doesn't exactly need the money. His court filing puts his gross income in 2007 at $9.3 million.

(Hat tip: ESPN Los Angeles)

Betty White has a lot of different roles these days: movie star, "Saturday Night Live" host and Snickers pitchwoman.

Now she has a new title: Honorary Forest Ranger. In a ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday, Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell bestowed the distinction on her, saying she had "made marvelous contributions to our agency and to the cause of conservation across the United States."

The 88-year-old White, a longtime supporter of wilderness preservation, said she wanted to be a ranger as a girl, but at the time such jobs were closed to women.

"Wilderness is getting harder and harder to find these days on our beautiful planet and we're abusing our planet to the point of almost no return," White said. "In my heart I've been a forest ranger all my life, but now I'm official."

Then she asked if she could wear her new ranger hat to a Kennedy Center event this evening to honor Tina Fey recipient of this year's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

They say there's no such thing as bad publicity. The organizers of the Government Doesn't Suck rally this weekend on the Mall better hope so, because (not surprisingly given the curent political climate), some folks are calling attention to the effort in a less than supportive way.

On both his blog and Fox News this week, conservative blogger and commentator Greg Gutfeld relentlessly mocked the march, saying it was organized by people "fed up with their reputations as loafers and losers" as a "reaction to the nearly universal disgust we have for people who ride desks in government."

"Remember this," Gutfeld added. "If you ever have to organize a rally to tell people you're cool, chances are you're not. It's like throwing your own birthday party. So instead, stay home and thank God you've got a job for now, because if the public ever needed a reason to shrink government, you're it."

Ouch.

See the video below (and remember people, I'm not here to endorse, just to report what's being said out there):

Looks like the mighty Transformers have met their match: The United States National Park Service. The machines from space were set to invade Washington until the Park Service started throwing its weight around.

Producers of the upcoming Transformers 3 had hoped to spend about two weeks filming in Washington, especially near its iconic landmarks, the Washington Post reports. But they got a little crazy with their plans, especially with some rather extensive action sequences.

Bill Line, Park Service spokesman, told the paper that the producers, including Steven Spielberg, "have asked to do some things that simply are not done on the National Mall," like racing cars along its gravel paths. "The National Mall is not an area in which Americans come to see high-tech action movies being shot," Line said.

Now the filmmakers might spend less than a week in D.C. on a more simplified shoot.

It's bad enough this sketch is one long slam on government employees, relying on the hoariest of cliches. What's almost worse is that it's simply not funny. Compared to this, the average wait in line at the DMV is a barrel of laughs:

Gabourey Sidibe, they owe you an apology for dragging you into that.

(Hat tip: GovLoop)

So it wasn't exactly an episode of Iron Chef. But it was a lot more fun. The Office of Personnel Management on Wednesday hosted its first "Feds Get Fit Cook-off," as part of the agency's governmentwide initiative to promote healthy living among the federal workforce. Melissa Knoll of the Social Security Administration walked away with the top prize, wowing judges with her tomato curry coconut soup with shrimp. Judges included "Top Chef" finalist and caterer Carla Hall and former New England Patriot football player Darryl Haley who had the very tough job of choosing finalists from among the 500 submissions.

Photo by Dawn Lim/Govexec.com