- I know I'm probably wrong (heck, she was once married to Tommy Lee) but Heather Locklear sounds like the most well-adjusted celebrity ever. How many women would ever admit that they find perfection boring, especially when they look like her? Not to mention another interview I saw with her today talks about how much she likes kinky hijinks with her hubby (I'll leave that one for y'all to find.) It's kind of refreshing to see articles about people who actually enjoy married life.
- Jon Krakauer, who wrote "Under The Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith" in 2003 about a polygamous Mormon sect, is now participating in the search for the group's fugitive leader. It's nice to see a successful author put his money (or time) where his mouth is. If you've read the book (and if you haven't, you should) it talks about the pattern of domestic and sexual abuse that's been documented throughout this group. I'm not one to tell anyone what to do with their religion, but when it comes to hurting people for your own gain, there's no religion in that. I hope they catch Warren Jeffs soon (which is unlikely since he's almost definitely in Mexico.)
- Okay, I'll admit it. I'm freaking sick of everyone freaking out over TomKat. No one has to believe that Tom Cruise has all his marbles and is involved in the most believable of philosophies (note: Scientology is a philosophy, not a religion. That's why Katie Holmes can be both Catholic and Scientologist.) Nor does everyone have to think that Katie's making the most reasoned of decisions in becoming engaged to a man she met two months ago. But people, these guys are adults. Moreover, Katie is 23 and has lived in Hollywood for years. This is not some schoolgirl fresh off the farm from Kansas. - she's drunk the LA Kool-Aid and not run home. So take that boulder of salt and give these kids a chance to actually really be in love. It does happen - my parents married six weeks after they met and have now been going strong for 35 years. In any case, they're old enough to know better, and they don't care. So neither should we.
Edit: Before anyone wants to point this out, my original instinct in this case was to think that the relationship was a publicity ploy. Yes, I'm a cynic. But I'm even more of a romantic, and I'd like to see the unbelievable become believable in the long run.
- Some people have no sense of humor. So watching Paris Hilton soap up on a Bentley wearing what amounts to two long scarves is good for TV, but a Shoney's ad that uses the line "passing Gas" (the town) isn't? Not that I'm saying they should pull the Carl's Jr. ad, but I'm the one who likes to make the decision what's tasteful enough for me not to TiVo-fast-forward through it.
- And yes, I'm very happy that they found the missing Boy Scout hiker. Just like I was very happy when Elizabeth Smart was found alive after nine months in captivity. Both of those people are cute white kids. So yes, I'm a hypocrite. But aren't we all?
- Spin has released their list of the top 10 most influential albums of the past 20 years. Of course I have my quibbles here. I am one of about 10 people who thinks that Radiohead is largely overrated, but I do agree that "OK Computer" should be on the list. Just not #1. The Public Enemy album is spot-on, and NWA should be higher than #10. I ould've switched Pearl Jam with Nirvana, simply because I think they completely blew grunge up after Nirvana brought it into the public eye. Otherwise, I'll leave it alone.
- So Charlotte Church apparently loves to down a few when she goes out. What exactly is the time frame on this? There's a great difference between going to the club every few weeks and getting wasted and drinking all that booze on a daily basis. Yes, it's binge drinking, but that's the same sort of stuff that goes on every weekend on most college campuses, and lots of those people come out it without rehab. If you think that most people don't have a 72-hour bender under their belt by the time they're 25, you're in a different world than I. Heck, it takes things like that to make you into a reasonably-sober person as an older adult, because you realize that non-stop partying is not what it's cracked out to be.
- I have to say that I'm looking forward to the new David Spade show on Comedy Central. My reactions to his brand of comedy have been hit-and-miss (excellent on SNL, not so much on 8 Simple Rules) but this sounds like it's going back to his SNL formula of celebrity-snarking. Wonder if they can sign Kathy Griffith as a correspondant?
- It's a crying shame when stupid trolls screw up the best experiment made by a newspaper in the new-media direction. Can't they just hang out on Usenet and leave the rest of the 'net alone?
- My new favorite site: British Sitcom Guide. If you've ever had an addiction to a particular show (old, really old, or new) here's the place to go for episode guides and other cool stuff. For instance, I didn't know you could buy The Office's second series scripts until now....
6.20.2005
Save my brain food, please!
I usually take all MoveOn.org mailings with a boulder of salt. Like a friend said, they tend to make 4-alarm fires out of burning food in the kitchen. But this one checks out, and hits really close to home.
Last week, a House subcommittee voted to sharply reduce federal funding for public broadcasting (including NPR, PBS, and public radio and TV affiliates,) and plan on completely ending it within a few years. Don't believe me? Go to Snopes and read the bottom paragraph. It looks like Sesame Street isn't in danger, since most of their funding comes from other sources. The same cannot be said for public radio and TV stations, who are woefully underfunded to begin with.
I agree with Jeff Jarvis' idea that the best way to save public broadcasting is to completely make it independent of government funding. However, I think that this might not actually happen in time to actually save the affiliates, who are almost always running on empty.
As I said in my signing of the MoveOn.org petition, I learned how to read at the age of 3 watching Sesame Street and Electric Company. Now my 3-year-old niece is learning the same way by watching PBS Kids (her mother stays away from Teletubbies, however.) As a news professional, NPR is one of my major sources for in-depth reporting that's not attached to a time-slot or agenda. Cutting funding for these things would be like cutting the PE departments out of elementary schools. PBS children's programming is like exercise for the mind, and NPR does the same for adults. I can't think of a worse way to send a message about the priorities (or agenda) of government than this.
Last week, a House subcommittee voted to sharply reduce federal funding for public broadcasting (including NPR, PBS, and public radio and TV affiliates,) and plan on completely ending it within a few years. Don't believe me? Go to Snopes and read the bottom paragraph. It looks like Sesame Street isn't in danger, since most of their funding comes from other sources. The same cannot be said for public radio and TV stations, who are woefully underfunded to begin with.
I agree with Jeff Jarvis' idea that the best way to save public broadcasting is to completely make it independent of government funding. However, I think that this might not actually happen in time to actually save the affiliates, who are almost always running on empty.
As I said in my signing of the MoveOn.org petition, I learned how to read at the age of 3 watching Sesame Street and Electric Company. Now my 3-year-old niece is learning the same way by watching PBS Kids (her mother stays away from Teletubbies, however.) As a news professional, NPR is one of my major sources for in-depth reporting that's not attached to a time-slot or agenda. Cutting funding for these things would be like cutting the PE departments out of elementary schools. PBS children's programming is like exercise for the mind, and NPR does the same for adults. I can't think of a worse way to send a message about the priorities (or agenda) of government than this.
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