rssClient lets you pull down an RSS feed, cache it locally, and extract the most commonly used bits of information. Cache expiration can be adjusted. Getting the RSS file via http times out quickly, so it will never stall a page (you can adjust this upwards if need be). It can get a specified feed or a random feed from a list. It has one sample layout, and it's real easy to make others. Also a good place to start if you want to figure out what RSS is and how to deal with it.