The 2000s: Goodbye and Good Riddance

The decade that no one thought of a catchy name for (although Time Magazine came close with "The Decade From Hell") is finally ending.

It had everything:  terrorist attacks, wars, a disputed presidential election, economic collapses, natural disasters of historic proportions, red and blue states . . . need we go on?

There were more villians than heroes to go around:  Osama bin Laden, George Bush, Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, Bernie Madoff, Jack Abramoff, Kenneth Lay, Jeffrey Skilling, etc.

It wasn't all gloom and doom, of course.  One of the saving graces of the decade was the election of 2008, where one woman ran for president, another was chosen to be a vice-presidential running mate, and an African-American man won a term in the White House.

New advancements in technology gave us the iPod, smaller cell phones, My Space, You Tube, Facebook, Twitter, Kindle and GPS systems.  Unfortunately, they also gave us hackers who steal your identity, screw up commerce, and endanger national security.

On TV, reality was all over the place, from "Survivor" and "American Idol" to "The Real World" and "Jon and Kate Plus Eight".  Dramas such as "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and its spinoffs, "Gilmore Girls", "Desperate Housewives", "The Sopranos", "Mad Men" and "Rescue Me" distinguished themselves.  Comedy had a hard time getting on track after the 9/11 attacks, and is still struggling today.

The movies became more about franchises and special effects than about stars and character development.  The "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, "Harry Potter", "Spider-Man", "Avatar" and "The Dark Knight" all ruled at the box office.  So did chick flicks, disaster movies, and films about grown men still in a state of adolescense.

Music had no real catalyst of change a la The Beatles and Elvis Presley, except in the way it was distributed.  Thanks to the mp3 player, you no longer have to settle for an $18 CD with only three good songs on it.  Now you go online and pay a buck a song.  Unless, that is, you're a fan of Garth Brooks, Led Zeppelin or Bob Seger, who have kept their music offline.

On the performance side, the decade pretty much began and ended with boy bands, rap and Britney Spears ruling the charts.  Beyond that, Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Kanye West and Eminem--among others--had their moments in the sun.

In sports, baseball was in crisis as accusations of players using performance enhancing drugs resulted in home run records getting asterisks.  The Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox finally win World Series titles.  The NHL canceled a whole season due to a labor dispute.  The NFL split its mini-dynasties between New England and Pittsburgh.  The NBA created new stars in Kobe Bryant and LeBron James after Michael Jordan retired.  Michael Phelps swam his way to glory at the Beijing Olympics, but Marion Jones' drug use cost her the track medals she won in Sydney.  And Tiger Woods dominated the world of golf . . . when he was on the course, that is.

Journalism made news of its own, most of it bad.  As publications either went bankrupt or shut down, those left behind moved on to online ventures and PR work.  Network TV news is no longer a boys' club, now that women are anchoring two of the three evening broadcasts.  Cable news, being the 24/7 operation that it is, trumps up every small time story and injects its own political commentary.

***
In Minnesota, the biggest story of the decade was the collapse in 2007 of the 35W bridge in Minneapolis, which killed 13 people.  In politics, the decade could best be explained by following the saga of Norm Coleman.

• At the beginning of the decade, Jesse Ventura was governor.  The former pro wrestler defeated Coleman in 1998.  By 2002, serious times had rendered Ventura's act moot, so he didn't run for another term.  And that's how we got Tim Pawlenty.
• In '02, Coleman ran against incumbent Paul Wellstone for the U.S. Senate.  Wellstone died in a plane crash days before the election, so former Vice-President Walter Mondale was brought in as an emergency replacement.  Coleman defeated Mondale.
• In 2008, Coleman ran for re-election against "Saturday Night Live" satirist Al Franken.  Eight months into 2009 and several recounts later, Franken was declared the winner.

The Twins came back from the brink of contraction, won a couple of division titles, and traded in the Metrodome for a new outdoor ball park.  The Vikings had two different owners, survived the "Love Boat" scandal, and lured Brett Favre out of retirement.  The NHL returned to Minnesota in the form of the Wild, playing to sellout crowds in St. Paul and endearing themselves to the "State of Hockey".  The Timberwolves with Kevin Garnett made it as far as the NBA Western Conference finals.  After Garnett was traded to Boston (where he won a championship), the Wolves sank back to the obscurity from whence they came.

***

As we move into the second decade of the 21st century, one hopes that things could only get better.  We've already had worse.

2009: Teachable Moments

So class, what have we learned from 2009?

The sins of the George W. Bush administration have been passed along to President Barack Obama, who campaigned on the promise of hope and change.  Today there isn't much hope, and the more things change, the more things remain the same.

There is still war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and probably will be for the foreseeable future.

The recession isn't over if people can't find jobs, and are skittish about spending even if they're employed.

Christmas Day almost became 12/25 had a suspected terrorist been successful in blowing up an airliner bound for Detroit.

Bipartisanship is a thing of the past.

General Motors is now Government Motors.

Scandals, sexual and otherwise, continue to plague politicians, celebrities and athletes.  And the sun rises in the East.

Making yourself rich on other people's money is proof that greed is still good--unless you get caught.  Just ask Bernie Madoff and Tom Petters.

Conservative talk show hosts are capable of setting the agenda for a major political party.

Minnesotans went six months without a second U.S. Senator before Al Franken was finally declared the winner over Norm Coleman.

Governor Tim Pawlenty, when he wasn't running for President, acted like King of Minnesota when he swung the budget axe without any help from the Legislature.

Meanwhile, Jesse Ventura has a new TV show about conspiracy theories.

Thanks to Sonia Sotomayor, the Supreme Court looks more like America with each passing year.

Until his death, the most trusted man in America was Walter Cronkite.  Now it's Jon Stewart.

Anyone can be a star on reality TV, whether they deserve it or not (Susan Boyle, the Kardashian family, Jon and Kate Gosselin).  And then there are the publicity seekers (Adam Lambert, "Octomom", the Solahis, and the parents of "Balloon Boy").

There really are limits to Facebook and Twitter.

Newspapers are an endangered species.

Not even a self-absorbed rap star can take away Taylor Swift's brilliant year.

The death of Michael Jackson meant that the world lost a pop icon, and the tabloids lost a meal ticket.

The death of Ted Kennedy meant that liberals lost their champion in the Senate, and the tabloids are running out of Kennedys to exploit.

Had a self-promoting blogger not asked a question about same-sex marriage at a nationally-televised beauty pageant, the world would never have heard of Carrie Prejean.

Only Sarah Palin can quit her day job, which was being Governor of Alaska, then use her book tour to convince folks that she can be a viable candidate for President.

Only Michele Bachmann can make outrageous claims about her vision for America, yet keep her congressional seat.

Vampire movies and TV shows aimed at teenage girls still suck . . . profits.

Will the real Lady Gaga (or is it Gag Gag?) please stand up?

Lou Dobbs needs to check his birth certificate.

Jay Leno does not belong in prime time.

The NFL gives second chances to anyone who can play football.  Even Michael Vick.

For Alex Rodriguez, who had been accused of steroid use, winning the World Series with the Yankees was the best deodorant.

Speaking of John Madden, he can stay home and watch football for a change.

The Twins improbably win another division title.  Brett Favre dons a purple Numner 4 and leads the Vikings to a division title.  The Wild and Timberwolves are starting over with new coaches and players.  And the Gopher football team has a new home, but are still playing in the same third-rate bowl game with a mediocre record.

2010 has got to be better than this.

Class dismissed.

Proposed Health Care Cure Worse Than the Disease?

Image via Wikipedia

The United States Senate is on its way to approving its version of health care reform, just in time for the holidays.  How they got to this point has been a textbook example of why people consider politicians to be among the lowest forms of life on Earth.

The bill is the result of listening to too many yahoos at town hall meetings who shout "Get your government hands off my Medicare!", and too much influence from health insurance lobbyists, instead of benefitting the "American People" they claim to represent.  Even liberals have lashed out at President Barack Obama for selling out to the bad guys for the sake of accomplishing his foremost campaign promise.

In order to get to the 60 votes Democrats believe they need to pass the bill--without any Republican help whatsoever--they had to sweet-talk certain Senators (namely Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, and independent Joe Lieberman of Conneticut) into going their way in exchange for giving them what they want.  That's par for the course in politics, but it sounds kind of underhanded outside the Beltway.

After the holidays, the House and Senate leaders will get together to work on a final bill.  Among the highlights:

• It would require everyone to get health insurance, whether they can afford it or not.
• The House has the government-run public option, while the Senate version does not.
• People 55 and over won't be added to the Medicare rolls.
• Women who have abortions would purchase a separate policy that isn't paid for by the government.
• Nobody would be turned down due to pre-existing conditions.

Neither bill will do anything to stem the tide of rising health care costs, at a time when people would rather do without insurance than pay high premiums.  The only real winner in all of this is the health care industry themselves, who will continue to make money no matter what happens.  ABC News reported on Tuesday that health care stocks were soaring on Wall Street.

But then, this should come as no surprise, having watched congressional Democrats shrink like violets for most of this decade.  When they were swept into office along with Obama in 2008 on the promise of change, we figured they would somehow find a way to blow their mandate.  Meanwhile, the Republicans' new symbol became a slashed circle, rejecting every idea the Democrats put up while offering the same tired rhetoric that put them in the minority position to begin with.

Most of the reforms, if passed, would not become law until 2013 or '14, so there will be plenty of opportunities for the health care industry to figure out ways around the new legislation and how to profit from them.  Also, who knows what the economy will be like by then?

Oh, and have a happy holiday season.

News and Notes From Media World

1. The domino effect of Charles Gibson leaving the "World News" anchor chair at ABC News is still being felt.  George Stephanopolous, who in a previous life had been an advisor to President Bill Clinton, has just begun work as the new co-host of "Good Morning America".  He replaces Diane Sawyer, who on Monday is taking over the evening newscast from Gibson.  Oh, Stephanopolous will still be able to talk to Washington movers and shakers much like he did on "This Week" (a Sunday morning broadcast he'll probably give up), but he'll also have to have the ability to get along with co-host Robin Roberts, hang out with celebrities, and learn how to cook a souffle.  Most importantly, he'll be asked to keep "GMA" a solid second behind NBC's "Today" in the morning news wars.
2. Tom Barnard is staying at KQRS (92.5 FM) radio to make more sex jokes, and to prove to the world he's still smarter than Terri Traen.  He originally said that he'd give up the "KQ Morning Show" in 2012, days before the purported Mayan Apocalypse is supposed to take place.  Well, maybe he's seen the movie or had nightmares about Sarah Palin being elected President, but he's apparently decided to hang in there until they kick him out.  That could very well happen if Barnard and company offends another minority group.
3. In a related development, the Huffington Post reports that Citadel Broadcasting (KQRS' owners) is about to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
4. Amid the hoopla that follows anyone who has ever worked for WCCO-AM, Don Shelby recently concluded nine years of moonlighting as an afternoon talk show host.  His real job, anchoring the 10 p.m. news for WCCO-TV, is safe for at least another year.  To say that station officials might have been pushing Shelby out the door is putting it mildly.  His drive time slot was taken over by Michele Tafoya, who still takes a day off to cover "Monday Night Football" for ESPN.  Now Shelby's early afternoon position is up for grabs, with radio veterans Chad Hartman (Sid's kid) and John Hines the front runners.  May we suggest Kevyn Burger, who has a news background and was recently axed by WFMP (107.1 FM) when their talk programming changed direction?  Unless, of course, WCCO management doesn't want too much of a gender balance during the daytime.

Should Tiger Woods Retire?

Image via Wikipedia

As the number of women who claim they have had some kind of relationship with golfer Tiger Woods increases (double digits is what we're hearing), as well as the number of sponsors that are dropping him (two so far), the previously untouchable golfing icon announced on his website that he's putting away his clubs for awhile to work on his marriage.

Some have speculated that Woods' self-imposed break will last until March or April, because that's when he usually prepares himself for the Masters, which is the first of golf's majors.  It's possible that the break could be longer than anyone thought, to the point where he might retire from competition.

In his mid-30s, Woods has won everything there is to win in golf, and then some.  He's worth a billion dollars , which comes from his tournament victories and endorsement deals.  He doesn't need golf so much as golf needs him.

If the past few weeks have proven anything, it's that Tiger Woods is getting a reality check:  There are more important things in life than birdies and bogeys.  He has a wife and two young children, an estate in Florida, and a yacht named "Privacy", among other things.  He realizes now that his alleged dalliances with other women are bringing him to the brink of being just another divorced dad, forced to earn his paychecks so he could pay court-ordered alimony and child support.  (Of course, the average divorced dad doesn't have Tiger's earning power.)

The game of golf has been around for centuries, and will almost certainly survive without Woods.  There will be a lot less prize money put up by corporations willing to put their names on tournaments.  There are plenty of talented golfers currently on the PGA Tour, though collectively their star power couldn't match Tiger's.  TV networks will cede weekend coverage of most tournaments to the Golf Channel as viewers find something else to do.

Seeing a once-in-a-lifetime athlete retire in the prime of his career would be disappointing, of course.  We're not psychologists, but it sounds like he needs to get his life in order.  If he can pull that off, it would be a bigger victory for him than any tournament.

The End of the "World" As We Know It

Image via Wikipedia

CBS announced it is canceling "As The World Turns", which has been on the air since 1956, for much of the same reasons why they got rid of "Guiding Light":  changing times, declining ratings, etc.  The network now has nine months to come up with a replacement, probably another game show.

ATWT was the daytime drama that pretty much everyone watched in its first few decades on the air.  Your parents, grandparents and great-grandparents probably watched it (and maybe still do).  Kids on their days home from school found it an educational experience, learning new phrases such as "under the circumstances", and maybe a little more about human behavior than they should have.

This is where Meg Ryan, Dana Delany, James Earl Jones, Julianne Moore, Marisa Tomei and so many others got their start before moving on to the big time.  Others, such as Eileen Fulton, Don Hastings and Colleen Zenk Pinter, have remained with the show for decades.

This is the show that got interrupted on November 22, 1963 by news bulletins of President John F. Kennedy's assassination.  It would be days before there was another network entertainment broadcast.

Procter and Gamble, which produces ATWT, practically invented the term "soap opera" when they started sponsoring daytime dramas on radio in the 1930s as a way to sell its soap bars and detergents to women.

After ATWT goes in September 2010, the oldest soap on TV will become "General Hospital", which has been on ABC since 1963.  That's long before Luke and Laura, folks.

I usually avoid soaps like the plague because I had better things to do.  But I won't forget the spinning globe and the haunting theme music (a combination of organ and piano) that was part of the credits when I was one of those kids getting their education from TV away from school.  It's not the end of the world, but for soap opera fans it might as well be.

Tom Petters and Denny Hecker: Why We Have a Recession

The government tells us that the recession is over, and that we are witnessing a slow recovery.  Well, it's more like a depression for the millions that are still out of work, and struggling to pay the bills.  They need someone or something to blame their troubles on.  So who fits the bill?  President George W. Bush during his last months in office?  Corporations that had been living the high life, or were too bloated to realize a big fall was coming?  Jobs shipped overseas and never coming back?

Minnesotans only need two scapegoats:  Tom Petters and Denny Hecker.  Both were well-known businessmen with multi-billion dollar companies, whose worlds came crashing down when they got caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

Petters, whose empire included Polaroid, Fingerhut and Sun Country Airlines, was recently convicted by a federal jury of operating a $3.5 billion Ponzi scheme.  The counts for which he was found guilty (20 in all) included wire and mail fraud, conspiracy and money laundering.  He could be sentenced to life in prison.

Hecker declared bankruptcy last June, claiming he owed $767 million with only $18.5 million in personal assets.  He had to sell or shut down his numerous auto dealerships and a rental car chain.  Auctions have been held, putting on display for the highest bidder the excesses of Hecker's life.  And we got to know how much it'll take (financially) to keep his wife and alleged mistress happy, more than we ever needed to know.

Hecker could also be charged in Federal court (according to startribune.com) for allegedly forging documents to secure a $65 million loan from a division of Chrysler, which would have brought nearly 5000 cars of a competing brand to one of his dealerships. 

The common denomiators between Petters and Hecker are that (A) both were worth a lot of money, (B) employed thousands of people, and (C) attracted investors who believed in them so much that they were willing to part with their life savings.  When all of that goes away and the Feds come calling, those who got burned tend to demand answers.  Well, they might be getting answers, but they'll never get their money back.

We may be reveling in the misfortune of people like Petters and Hecker right now.  But that's not going to pay the bills or to get yourself a new career.  The lesson here is not to put your trust in those who promise you the moon and the stars, or else you'll end up with desert swampland.

Comcast Plucks The Peacock Network

Image via Wikipedia

The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) began as a radio network in the 1920s, pioneered television in the 30s and 40s, and in recent years jumped into cable and the Internet.  Now, with its parent company being purchased by a major cable and broadband operator, NBC is evolving again.  Perhaps out of existence.

General Electric has agreed to sell 51% of NBC Universal to Comcast, which would eventually give it control of the company.  The deal includes a broadcast TV network, several cable channels (both NBC's and Comcast's), theme parks and a movie studio.

Before the merger can be completed, the federal government has to give its OK.  Because Comcast would become the most powerful force in the world of communications, they might be asked to (among other things) choose whether or not they could own NBC stations in the same cities where they also have cable systems.  We think they'd rather give up the stations because the broadcast TV business has become a loser in recent years.

NBC brought this on themselves.  Their prime time fortunes have plummeted to the point where they are now last among the Big Four broadcast networks (only CBS is doing well).  The decision to replace dramas in the last hour of prime time with five nights of Jay Leno has so far been a bust, with ratings so bad that the local news that follows is taking a major hit in its numbers.  GE's bean counters must not have been pleased.

What does Comcast bring to the proverbial table?  As a former subscriber, I can tell you that they have moved channels from the basic cable package over to its more expensive digital tier, then not bothering to replace them.  Some of us don't want (or can't afford) high-def TV sets, you know.

Even if you switch to satellite service, Comcast comes back to bite you.  If you have DirecTV and you're a hockey fan, you've probably noticed that Comcast-owned Versus--the National Hockey League's main TV partner--is no longer part of the sports package due to a contract dispute.  Imagine what would happen if they tried to take away NBC, especially around the 2012 London Olympic games they're scheduled to televise.

Some people are concerned that Comcast, with its politically conservative ownership, might try to influence the journalistic balance of NBC News, MSNBC and CNBC.  Not to worry, we're told.  Comcast will leave things be, so Brian Williams, Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow can keep their jobs.  For now.

They say the future of television is going to be on the Internet, and with Comcast leading the way, they're going to make darn sure they're going to be a major part of it.  Like forcing people to become Comcast subscribers so they could access certain websites for content they once watched for free.

That's why consumer groups are manning the battle stations to defeat the merger.  They won't get that, but they will eventually wind up with a leaner company that sold some of its assets to appease the government and its critics.  Which will lead to other media and broadband companies pairing up, and your bills being jacked up.

Welcome to the future.

Tiger Woods Goes Off Course

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Tiger Woods has been the most dominant man on the golf course this decade, on a pace to win more tournaments than Jack Nicklaus ever did.  Outside the links, he has cultivated an image of a man who is worth millions of dollars in endorsements with a beautiful wife and two children.  And that's all he wants you to know.

Then on Thanksgiving weekend, it all blew up in his face like a quadruple bogey on the 72nd hole at Augusta with a two shot lead.  Woods crashed his SUV into a fire hydrant at his home in Florida at 2:30 a.m., with wife Elin taking shots at the windshield with one of his clubs.  Then he said nothing about it to the police, leaving people to wonder what really happened.  Because of the injuries he suffered in the crash, Woods took himself out of a tournament he's hosting this weekend.

Reports surfaced in the tabloid media that Woods had allegedly been seeing other women.  One of them sent a magazine a recording of a message she said she got on her phone with Woods' voice on it.

Then Woods apologized on his website for the accident and for his "transgressions", branded the reports of unfaithfulness as untrue and pleaded for privacy.  It was the kind of apology that wasn't really an apology, as if his lawyers and publicists had written it.

I appreciate Woods' desire to keep the world at arm's length.  How many of us would admit to failings in our lives without being forced to do so?  The thing is, Woods became a public figure the moment he was old enough to hit a golf ball on TV in front of Mike Douglas and Bob Hope.

Most of Woods' fine sponsors are standing by him during this crisis, as are his fellow competitors on the PGA Tour.  Why not?  He's their bread and butter, the man who got the game of golf out of genteel obscurity and into the mainstream.  TV ratings soar when he's in contention at tournaments he chooses to play in.  The products he sells have become identified with him, and vice versa.

What Tiger Woods needs to do is to first give an honest explanation of what really happened on the morning in question, then try to work things out with his wife in the manner he knows best--behind closed doors.  Then, the moment he wins another major championship, he'd better hope people will have short memories about his act of stupidity. 

Deja Vu All Over Again in Afghanistan

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Eight years after the United States invaded Afghanistan, you can no longer blame the conflict there solely on George W. Bush, who as President was trying to rid the world of scoundrels on his own (and Vice President Dick Cheney's) terms.  It is now President Barack Obama's war as well, having announced to a captive audience of cadets at West Point serving as backdrop for a national television audience that he's sending 30,000 more soldiers into harm's way.

Since taking office, Obama has tripled the number of military personnel being sent to Afghanistan to fight off a resurgent Taliban.  The number, according to Associated Press (via MSNBC.com), stands at around 71,000.  There have been 924 killed since the war began, and 4,434 wounded.

The President does have an exit strategy, sort of.  Beginning in July 2011, the U.S. hopes to have enough of a viable Afghan army to enable them to leave.  But it could be a long,slow process that might be extended into Obama's second term, should he be re-elected.  Then again, there's no guarantee that the troop surge would actually work, which might result in more soldiers being sent there.

It sounds as if the President drank the Kool-Aid, relying on his generals to give him reasons why he should keep the war going.  In his speech (which could easily have been Bush talking), he sounded the alarm about avenging the terrorist attacks of  9/11/01 by fighting the Taliban as a way to get at al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.  Except that al-Qaeda and bin Laden are currently ensconced in the mountains of Pakistan.  And Pakistan is supposed to be an ally, so a military invasion is out of the question.  Besides, the U.S. also has to prop up the scandal-plagued government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Unlike in 2001, when people were too scared to say anything negative about Bush after 9/11, they're a lot more skeptical about Obama's handling of the war now.  According to a Gallup poll (AP via MSNBC.com), the President's disapproval rating on this issue is 55%, compared to 35% in his favor.  What might be behind those numbers is that people aren't seeing positive results on the battlefield, and that the U.S. might be fighting the wrong enemy.

The President also has to convince his fellow Democrats in Congress to support the troop increase.  But they might not be so willing to pony up the $30 billion to fund a conflict which has increasingly become irrelevant.

With so many things that need fixing--health care reform, getting people back to work, taming the deficit--it would be a real tragedy if Barack Obama's presidency ended up being compared to another president who had lofty ambitions, but got bogged down in an unpopular war.  His name was Lyndon Johnson.

Vikings Deflate Dome Negotiations

Image via Wikipedia

The Minnesota Vikings, with Brett Favre at the helm, have all but clinched the NFC North division title with a 9-1 record.  Coach Brad Childress has been rewarded with a contract extension that lasts through 2013.  Purple Fever is breaking out all over Minnesota.

Now think down the road a little bit.  By 2013, Favre could retire once again (or not), Childress may or may not still be coaching, and the Vikings could be playing somewhere else.  Did someone just say Los Angeles?

The Vikings and the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission (MSFC) are currently at odds over a new lease agreement for what is now called Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (try saying that three times fast).  The MSFC wanted to extend the lease past its original 2011 deadline rent-free, so that the team could have more time to put a stadium deal together.  If there was no agreement, the Vikings would be charged a couple of million a year.

The Vikings management reacted to this like spoiled children whose parents had taken away the car keys.  "How dare you!", they told the commission.  "We have a lease until 2011, and we're sticking to it".  Thye've broken off relarions with the commission.

Granted, the MSFC shot themselves in the foot with their threat to raise the rent.  It's all they could do to persuade their only remaining tenant (the Twins and football Gophers having gotten their own playpens) to remain in the fold, and to not be so heavily dependent on tractor pulls.

But the Vikings do have a point.  They have one of (if not the) worst stadium leases in the National Football League.  They can't add suites or extra seats to the existing facility, which would bring in more revenue.  And if revenue sharing in the NFL ever goes away . . . well, ask the Twins what it's like to compete financially with the Yankees and the Red Sox.

This isn't the first time the Vikings have lobbied for their own stadium, but it always seems as if their timing is lousy.  It's worse now, with Minnesota's unemployment and budget deficit  at record levels, Governor Tim Pawlenty seriously considering a run for President in 2012, and the Legislature not wanting to give voters a reason to kick them out in the 2010 election.

So what needs to be done to keep the Purple from setting up shop in sunny California?  Vikings owner Zygi Wilf mentioned to an audience in Austin that the current Metrodome site is where they want that new stadium, and that they'd also like a retractable roof to go along with it, which would add $200 million to the cost.  Unless the Wilfs decide to sell the team to someone else, they should chip in a few million of their own money.  Since the Legislature wuold be very reluctant to approve any kind of tax to fund the new stadium, maybe there should be a private corporation made up of individuals and companies to raise a little capital.  Getting around tax laws, however, might be a problem.

No one, not even Zygi Wilf, wants to see the Vikings leave Minnesota.  Unless the team, the Legilature and the MSFC get serious about a realistic plan to keep professional football in the state for the forseeable future, Minnesotans will soon be finding something else to do with their Sunday afternoons.

Next on "Oprah": The Long Goodbye

Image via Wikipedia

Oprah Winfrey, as most of the known world is aware of by now, is saying goodbye to her syndicated daytime talk show as of September 2011.  She's starting her own cable network (to be called OWN--the Oprah Winfrey Network) in association with the folks that brought you the Discovery Channel.

Winfrey's built quite an empire for herself, being worth $2.7 billion, according to Forbes magazine.  She has her fingers in just about everything:  a production company, a magazine (with her picture on every cover), a satellite radio channel, a website, etc.  She acted in and produced movies and TV shows, such as the current feature "Precious", which she's co-producing with Tyler Perry.

But it was a Chicago-based talk show that began as a local program in 1986 that brought Winfrey all this fame and fortune, and she's walking away when the show hits the 25-year mark.  Here's what she leaves behind in her wake:

• Broadcast TV  "The Oprah Winfrey Show" is syndicated by CBS to more than 200 stations across the United States, including the ones in some major markets that are owned by ABC.   It is usually number one in its time period, which is why most of those stations use "Oprah" as a lead-in to the late-afternoon local news.  Now they'll either have to find someone else, or they could just tack on an extra hour of local news.
• Celebrities in need of a boost.  You've probably noticed that guests on talk shows aren't just there to sit and chat with the host.  No, they are there to talk up their latest project, whether it's a new movie or TV show.  Most of them also come to Oprah because they've been in the news for the wrong reasons, and they feel the need to come clean about their personal lives in her presence.  The latest example was Sarah Palin, whose sitdown with Oprah resulted in the show's best ratings in years.
• Authors.  Get your book selected by Oprah for her book club, then watch your sales soar.  On the other hand, since her audience is primarily female, it might be the kiss of death if you want guys to read it, too.  But cross Oprah, and your career suffers.  Just ask Jonathan Franzen and James Frey.
• Tabloids.  Since Oprah made herself such an open book about her life, the tabloids have been having a field day documenting her weight problems and her ongoing relationships with longtime companion Stedman Graham and best friend Gayle King.  That will likely continue whether Oprah is on TV or not.
• Her Disciples.  Dr. Phil McGraw, Rachael Ray and Dr. Mehmet Oz all owe their TV careers to Oprah, and all have their own shows now.  You'll also notice that, due to contractual obligations, none of them can air at the same time Oprah does.
• Her Fans.  Oprah has six million of them, which is half as many viewers as she had at her peak in 1992.  They love her straightforwardness, her positivity in finding the "Best LIfe",  and in her generosity (such as when she gave away cars to an audience of school teachers).  However, her ratings drop can also be traced to viewers being turned off by her self-absobed holier-than-thou attitude, and for her endorsement of Barack Obama for President in 2008.

Oprah Winfrey is not going away any time soon.  Her talk show will continue for another year and a half, in which she's promised that the best is yet to come.  But it will be entering a lame duck phase, as America tries to figure out what it will do without Oprah.

Sarah Palin: Rogue Warrior

Image via Wikipedia

The disaster movie 2012 topped the box office last week, meaning there are people out there who would pay good money to watch a special-effects version of Earth being destroyed.  Which brings us to Sarah Palin . . .

The former Alaskan governor and Senator John McCain's 2008 vice-presidential running mate is currently on a book tour, granting interviews to Oprah Winfrey and Barbara Walters, in support of her tome "Going Rogue: An American Life".  It is already a best-seller, available at your favorite bookseller.  Most of the reputable political pundits are seeing this as the opening salvo to Palin's 2012 presidential campaign.

For those of you who have no intention of reading the book (like me), here's some highlights according to those who already have read it: 

• Palin disses the McCain campaign for not letting her do her own thing, such as being allowed to speak after the Arizona senator conceded the election to Barack Obama.  An indication, perhaps, that she was becoming a liability on the ticket?
• She discusses the CBS interview with Katie Couric, which made her look like a deer in the headlights.
• She also expressed surprise that daughter Bristol's pregnancy was discovered by the McCain campaign just in time for the Republican National Convention.  Baby daddy Levi Johnston, who had broken up with Bristol, can now be found showing himself off--so to speak--as a Playgirl magazine model.

No mention is made, of course, about the state of Alaska's investigation into alleged corruption charges involving Palin, or the real reason why she suddenly resigned as Governor in July.  If you're going to run for higher political office, shouldn't you have a fallback job in case you lose?

Palin may be the best-known--and most attractive (nice cover, Newsweek)--Republican in the country right now, but that doesn't mean people want her as president.  Not only is she in the middle of the pack in most polls among GOP contenders, but she's also getting low marks for trustworthiness.  And her conservative positions might force the other candidates to tack even more to the right, which is not what the Republicans need to reclaim their relevancy to voters.

So what about 2012?  Palin's been dodging that question, but consider this:  John Kennedy, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama were all published authors before they went to the White House.  None of them, however, were Oprah's Book Club selections.

And what if Palin were elected in 2012?  Would California fall into the ocean?  Would the Rockies crumble?  Would New York be submerged by a tsunami?  Would humankind survive?  Or have we been watching too many disaster movies?

Can CNN Regain Viewers' Trust After Dobbs' Departure?

Image via Wikipedia

Lou Dobbs, the business reporter turned right wing pundit, is no longer at CNN.  He announced his resignation on his TV program, "Lou Dobbs Tonight", on Wednesday.  He was one of the cable network's first anchors when it went on the air in 1980.  He's being replaced in January by John King, who currently hosts the "State of the Union" program on Sunday mornings.

Dobbs' show was a rarity for CNN, a news network that tends to play it down the middle.  He had his own staff of correspondents, his own point of view, and was the biggest draw outside of Larry King.  Dobbs' questioning of President Barack Obama's birth certificate, and his calls for tougher immigration policies have been a source of embarassment for CNN as opposition groups called for his removal.

As for CNN itself, what in the name of Ted Turner is going on?  "The Most Trusted Name in News", as they like to call themselves, is losing in buzz and ratings to Fox News and MSNBC.  Heck, even HLN (the former CNN Headline News) is kicking their butts in prime time.

Because CNN is seen around the world, they have bureaus in nearly every country while the other networks have been cutting back on international news. They've had outstanding reporting in the past from Nic Robertson, Christiane Amanpour and others. But that doesn't mean American viewers are all that interested in, let's say, the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

The problem is, people don't want their news in a straightforward manner any more.  They want their news with a twist, delivered by personalities like Bill O'Reilly, Jon Stewart and Rachel Maddow.  And the more news about celebrities and pseudo-celebrities, the better.  The last time CNN got boffo ratings was in the aftermath of Michael Jackson's death.

What to do about CNN?  Instead of imitating the other guys, they need to re-assert themselves as the go-to channel for breaking news with unbiased reporting.  Of course, it does sound like tilting at windmills, doesn't it?  Fox News usually leads the pack when it comes to breaking news, too.  So CNN needs to go back to the drawing board.

As for Dobbs, he'll either be back on the air somewhere (his syndicated radio talk show continues) or he'll enter politics as a 2012 presidential candidate.  We're thinking maybe Fox News has a place for him.

Tragedy In The Heart of Texas

Fort Hood, Texas has joined the growing list of places (Columbine, Virginia Tech, etc.) where one person with a gun and a grievance can wreak untold havoc upon a nation.

This time it's Major Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army psychiatrist suspected of killing 13 people and wounding 21 others inside a readiness center at the military base.  The investigation is continuing as Hasan is recovering from his injuries.

We are being told that Hasan allegedly did what he did because he was being sent to Afghanistan and didn't want to go.  With the Taliban controlling most of the country, President Hamid Karzai retaining his position by default after his opponent drops out of the runoff election and charges fraud, and President Barack Obama close to deciding whether to send more soldiers into what is increasingly becoming a no-win situation, could you really blame Hasan?

But the place Hasan allegedly chose to make his stand was in an area where soldiers get physicals and write their wills before being shipped overseas.  It is not a heavily-guarded area.

Much has been made of the fact that Hasan is Muslim, which to some people meant that the attack on Fort Hood was an act of terrorism.  Investigators have ruled out that possibility, but they are reportedly checking to see if Hasan had any connection to a cleric with ties to al-Qaeda.

Since September 11, 2001, otherwise law-abiding Muslims have been stereotyped as terrorists, stopped at airports, and watched constantly by Homeland Security.  The shootings at Fort Hood only made matters worse, especially for Muslims currently serving in the military.

The 13 people who were victims of the rampage were memorialized Tuesday at Fort Hood in a ceremony led by President and Mrs. Obama.  There was no heroism involved here.  The victims just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

As long as the lack of enforcing gun control laws enable those who shouldn't have weapons to acquire and use them on an unsuspecting population, massacres like this one will keep on happening.

Operation Successful on House Health Care Bill

After all the partisanship and shouting of the last few weeks, it was time for Congress to vote on a possibly transforming health care bill that President Barack Obama has been pushing for ever since he took office.  The House of Representatives was up first, and their bill passed 220-215 Saturday night.

The House bill, which was supported by everybody except most Republicans and conservative Democrats, has the following main provisions, which would cost over a trillion dollars:

• It requires everyone to have insurance and most businesses to offer policies to its employees.
• Bans insurance companies from denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions.
• Expands Medicare
• Creates a government-run insurance program, also known as the public option.

Republicans, who have yet to come up with an alternative plan that doesn't benefit their buddies in Big Medicine at the expense of their constituents, have been terrified at the thought of a public option, which might someday lead to a single-payer system.  They claim it's the end of freedom as we know it, reducing us to the level of  . . . Canadians.  Where's George Washington when you really need him?

That same attitude has spilled over into protest rallies outside the U.S. Capitol.  Egged on by people such as representatives Michele Bachmann of Minnesota  (a one-woman freak show in her own right) and Joe Wilson of South Carolina (of "You lie!" fame), events like this one degenerate into name calling and racist posters of President Obama.  If nothing else, it makes for pretty good TV.

The message that tends to get lost amidst all the ugliness is that these people like their health care coverage the way it is, and they don't want Congress to change it.  That's great.  But what if you lose your job (the unemployment rate now stands at ten percent) and you have a major health care crisis that ends up cleaning out your savings?

This isn't a done deal by any means.  Once the Senate gets through with its version (which does not include the public option), negotiations to reach agreement on what will be in the final bill should begin.  If it's defeated, then it's right back to square one.

One problem with all the health care bills is that, if one is passed, it would not take effect until 2013.  What's to stop the insurance and pharmaceutical companies from taking advantage of that time lag to jack up rates to make up for the potential lost revenue?  The message for everyone seems to be, don't get sick in the next three years.

No matter what happens, though, there's more progress now on health care reform than at any time in the last 60 years.  We should be feeling better about that.

Politics In An Off Year

This is what happens in an off-year election.  There are few state or federal races being contested, but some cities are electing mayors and some states are letting voters decide on referendums (whether it's funding schools or approving same-sex marriage).  Otherwise, to give all the political pundits something to do, the main focus was on the races for Governor in New Jersey and Virginia, and a congressional election in New York state.

It turns out that the Republican candidates won both gubernatorial contests, sending Democrats into fits of worry over whether they should scale back their agenda if they want to be re-elected in the future.  This was also seen as a rebuke of President Barack Obama's policies on the economy and health care, even though his approval ratings are still high, and the White House blames the losses on not campaigning hard enough.

But Republicans are equally capable of shooting themselves in the foot in the name of ideological purity.  In that congressional race in upstate New York, the GOP replaced a moderate local candidate with a conservative who didn't even live in the district, sending in heavy hitters such as Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to campaign for him.  The Democratic challenger ended up winning the seat by a narrow margin.

In Minnesota, R.T. Rybak remains mayor of Minneapolis, and Chris Coleman is still mayor of St. Paul.  Both easily won re-election against token opposition.  But the big story was Instant Runoff Voting (also known as Ranked Choice Voting), which was used for the first time in Minneapolis and approved by voters in St. Paul.

How IRV/RCV is supposed to work (correct me if I'm wrong) is if you voted for your first choice on one ballot, then you could vote for your second choice on another ballot, and so on.  If a runoff is needed, the top two vote-getters who did not pass the 50 percent mark would face off in another election.  Got that?  Supporters say that this makes elections fairer and more candidates would have a chance.  Detractors think too many novelty acts would go on the ballot and make voting more complicated than it needs to be.  Aren't elections long enough already?

Now that Rybak has been re-elected, would he use his win as a stepping stone to the Governor's mansion in 2010, maneuvering his way past a crowded field to earn the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party's nomination?  He's not saying yet, but all the signs are pointing in that direction.

And then there's Governor Pawlenty, who hosted his first PAC fundraiser attended by high rollers, party hangers-on, and a couple of has-been actors brought in for atmosphere.  Then he's scheduled to make a speech in Iowa this weekend, which just happens to be a caucus state.  Hey, Pawlenty might say he's not running for President in 2012, but he sure acts like he is.

To fulfill his ambition, Pawlenty needs work in the name recognition department.  In a USA Today/Gallup Poll, published in Thursday's edition of The Nation's Newspaper, the Governor is ranked fifth among possible GOP presidential candidates, trailing Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney and Palin, in that order.  Not that it really means anything at this point, but who knows?

So, just because it's an off-year election, that doesn't mean we can't waste precious cyberspace talking about What It All Means.  Right?

Cutting Corners On Your TV Screen

Image by Wonderlane via Flickr

Everyone talks about the decline of newspapers.  How many of them have gone bankrupt, cut staff, publish fewer editions, or shutting down altogether in the face of falling circulation.  And then they have the nerve to charge for their product online, where most of their readers are going.

With some exceptions, the same could be said about local TV stations.  Just like cutbacks have resulted in thinner newspapers, local TV news has declined in quality and viewers are starting to notice.

Take WCCO, the CBS station in Minneapolis.  They whack two of their most popular personalities--Paul Douglas and Jeanette Trompeter--and replace them with inferior talent for less money.  Their main news set is a plate glass window in the background.  Newscasts have turned into magazines, eschewing more news in favor of features such as "Good Question", Don Shelby's nightly commentaries, and reminders that Frank Vascellaro and Ameila Santaniello are more than just co-anchors, they're married, too!  They've also been surrendering a good chunk of their time on Fridays to high school football highlights.

Despite all this, WCCO has the top-rated newscast in town.  They'd be in big trouble if it weren't for Oprah Winfrey and the CBS prime time lineup.

KARE, the NBC station, tends to emphasize the folksy in its newscasts, just 'telling stories'.  Well, it's hard to be folksy when owner Gannett orders its on-air people to take one-week unpaid furloughs, or when your 10 p.m. news ratings suffer because NBC schedules "The Jay Leno Show" five times a week.

KSTP (ABC) and KMSP (Fox) air more hours of news per day than anyone else in this market.  They have also had their share of staff cutbacks, which results in fewer people working more hours for less pay.  And KSTP is a notoriously non-union shop.

There are other ways the quality of local news has been affected.  For example, if you've been paying attention to the Tom Petters trial, you'll notice the lack of courtroom sketch artists on WCCO and KARE.  They might think stock video tells the story better in lieu of cameras in the courtroom (which are banned in federal courts), but that doesn't make up for the fact that two sketch artists are out of work.

The cutbacks have also extended to digital TV.  Remember those promises of more channels that would come with our converter boxes?  Other cities have sports, 24 hour news and old TV shows on their digital channels.  Here, KSTP airs reruns of news and "Twin Cities Live" on its channel, KARE has a 24-hour weather station, and  . . . that's it.  The other stations either don't have a digital channel, or use theirs to simulcast their main channel in standard definition.  Only TPT seems to take multicasting seriously, and they're a public TV station.

Don't think that, if and when the economy gets better, the situation will improve any time soon.  Some people have already caught on to this.  They've dumped the 10 p.m. news for Jon Stewart and "The Daily Show".  The production values aren't much, but they sure are more entertaining.

Fox News: They Report and Decide, We Watch

Image via Wikipedia

Nearly a year after winning an historic election, President Barack Obama has decided to pick a fight with the Fox News Channel, the Rupert Murdoch-owned conservative cable network that he believes hasn't been giving him a fair shake since taking office.

When the President saturated the Sunday morning airwaves to discuss his health care plan, he was interviewed on every network except Fox.  The White House went so far as to deny Fox News press passes to interview certain officials, until the other networks put their collective feet down.

In the annals of the White House's relationship with the news media, it's nothing new.  Richard Nixon had a contentious relationship, to the point of putting some journalists on his "enemies list".  George W. Bush, without much fanfare, simply excluded MSNBC and other liberal journalists from his activities.

The reason President Obama has a big problem with Fox News is the channel itself.  Critics claim their news reporting is slanted to the right, the hosts have lower I.Q.s than their ratings, and that the national discourse is harmed when interviews turn into shoutfests.

Fox News, according to Nielsen, has the five top-rated programs among cable news networks, led by "The O'Reilly Factor".  Twelve million viewers make up the combined total for these shows, which is ten million less than the amount of people who watch the broadcast networks' evening news.

On the few occasions that I voluntarily watch Fox News (they seem to be on in sports bars and department stores), Neil Cavuto played a March interview with Alan Grayson, a Democratic congressman from Florida whose take on the Republicans' health care plan ("Die Quickly") has been widely viewed.  After several minutes of rudely interrupting Rep. Grayson while he was trying to get his point across, Cavuto came back live calling him a "nut" and announcing that from now on his show would be a "No-Nut Zone".  A second or two later, "The Glenn Beck Show" was starting.

Beck is the former radio DJ who has found fame as a conspiracy theorist with a flair for the dramatic.  He's still on the air despite calling the President a "racist", prompting several prominent sponsors to ditch him.  On this particular broadcast, Beck claimed that socialists were dominating the White House, government is about to control everything, and used a chalkboard to explain how the federal deficit is destroying the country.

What distinguishes Fox News from the other guys is conflict, which makes for good TV.  Who knows, at any moment, Beck, Bill O'Reilly or Sean Hannity might either say something ridiculous or blow their tops at their guests.  Try getting that from Larry King or Anderson Cooper.

Conservatives are not all cartoon villians as Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow would like you to believe.  There are some that put out their points of view in a calm, civil manner.  But they're not the ones who are running the Republican party right now.  Instead, the GOP is being led by entertainers such as Sarah Palin and Joe the Plumber, and by extremists who hijacked the health care debate, egged on by Fox News.  And we haven't even mentioned Rush Limbaugh.

President Obama can't expect all of the people to like everything he does.  He also can't expect to control what people say about him.  But he shouldn't make any attempt to muzzle a network that has the right to cover him in ways they consider appropriate, no matter how crude those ways sometimes are.

World Series: Better Late Than Never

Image via Wikipedia

Major League Baseball is getting what it deserves when the Philadelphia Phillies take the field in New York against the Yankees in the World Series Wednesday night.

This is the best matchup the Series has had in years:  Power in both lineups as personified by Ryan Howard of the Phillies, and Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees.  The pitchers are no slouches, either:  Andy Pettite and Mariano Rivera for New York, and Pedro Martinez and Cole Hamels for the Phillies.

Philadelphia is going for their second consecutive world championship, something no National League team has done since the original Big Red Machine in Cincinnati did that in the mid-1970s.  The Yankees, for all the money they've spent on marquee players, haven't won the Series since 2000.  They are also the last to win back-to-back world titles (1998-2000).

What's not to like?

Uh, how about the fact that, for the first time since 2001, the World Series will end in November?  This scheduling quirk was created not by the good folks at Fox Sports, but by the World Baseball Classic that was held during an extended spring training, which most of us have already forgotten.  If the Los Angeles Dodgers and/or the Angels had made it to the Series, MLB would have gotten a pass.  But it's New York and Philadelphia, places where winter comes early.  Don't be shocked to see players and fans freezing their butts off, or games postponed due to snow.  Let's just hope we don't see any juiced-up snowmen.

With the exception of Game 4, all World Series games will begin at 7:57 p.m. in the East (6:57 in the Central time zone), a half hour earlier than it has been in recent years.  Big deal.  This year's playoff games have been averaging 31/2-4 hours, and sometimes more if they go into extra innings.  So don't worry about missing "CSI", "Grey's Anatomy" or "Mad Men".  The games will still be on when those shows are over, unless it's your bedtime.

Controversy over blown calls in the playoffs have prompted MLB to use only experienced umpires for its World Series crew.  There have also been people bleating about the need to expand the use of instant replay beyond disputed home runs.  Look, baseball has been around since long before the invention of TV.  We've seen what has happened to football since replay was introduced, in which most of the calls on the field have been validated.  Baseball needs more experienced umpires on big games and less replay.

Once Halloween is over and the holiday shopping season begins in earnest (with a brief break for something called Thanksgiving), the Yankees will be World Series champions in six or seven games.

T-Wolves: Preparing For The Worst

Image via Wikipedia

Are the Minnesota Timberwolves still part of the National Basketball Association?  The way owner Glen Taylor has changed front office staff, coaches and players after another disastrous season, you might well wonder.

First to go was Kevin McHale, who was stripped of his position as defacto general manager and forced to coach the same players he traded for.  He'll be in a TV studio this season as an analyst for NBA TV, which is what some people say he should have been all along.

New President of Basketball Operations (read:  General Manager) David Kahn made plenty of moves to replace his roster full of deadwood with other teams' deadwood.  He tried and failed to sign top draft pick Ricky Rubio, who chose to stay in Spain instead.  Can you blame him?  If Rubio really wanted to play in the NBA this season, the Wolves would have traded his rights to Miami or the Los Angeles Lakers.  Nice and warm down there.

Kahn waited until August to name former Lakers assistant Kurt Rambis as the Wolves' new coach.  For Rambis, it was either a case of waiting for Phil Jackson to step down as coach, or gain some experience with a struggling team.  He also brought in Bill Laimbeer, who's won titles as a player with the Detroit Pistons and as a coach with the WNBA Detroit Shock (who will be moving to Tulsa, Oklahoma next season), as an assistant.

As the Wolves start the 2009-10 season, they will be without two of their best players--Kevin Love and Al Jefferson--due to injuries.  Some NBA pundits are saying this team is capable of challenging the all-time record for futility set by the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers, who finished that season with a 9-73 mark.  I don't think the Wolves will be that bad, but Target Center will be seeing many an empty seat this winter.

OK, so the Wolves' playoff chances are remote at best.  Here's who we see extending their seasons past April:

EASTERN CONFERENCE  Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Washington Wizards, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers.

WESTERN CONFERENCE  Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, New Orleans Hornets.

Is This Real Or What?

The Heene family, the ones who allegedly phonied up a balloon thrill ride for their six-year old son that the world ended up witnessing, aren't the first to seek fame and fortune on reality TV.  And they won't be the last, either.

The genre has largely replaced sitcoms and dramas as go-to programming for TV networks that are fighting a losing battle against cable.  And it makes up half the schedules of most cable channels.  Ever wonder why MTV and VH1 no longer show music videos?  Or why The Learning Channel has become simply TLC?  Look no further.

Without reality TV, we would never have known (or cared) about the pseudo-lives of Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, the Kardashian sisters, Denise Richards, the Osbournes, or any of those Real Housewives.

There are some who have made careers out of being on reality TV:  Boston Rob and Amber parlayed their success on "Survivor" into competing on "The Amazing Race".  Elisabeth Hasselbeck, now a co-host on "The View", began as a "Survivor" contestant.  And the woman known simply as Omarosa made her name on Donald Trump's "The Apprentice".

Reality TV has also ruined lives.  Richard Hatch, "Survivor"'s first winner, went to prison for tax evasion.  Jon and Kate Gosselin are getting a divorce, putting their TV show and their eight kids in jeopardy.  Anna Nicole Smith died under mysterious circumstances.

All of these people willingly submitted to having their lives recorded 24/7 for fame, fortune and our entertainment.  What we get is the privelege of watching the adults act like idiots and children behave like animals, whether they play to the cameras or not.  It's what happens when the cameras go off that the problems begin.

Of course, these aren't really their real lives that we're watching.  Some of it has been tricked up to make it more interesting for TV, which saves the participants countless hours of acting lessons.  Unless they already are actors.

Don't think public television is above all this.  Way the heck back in 1973, PBS aired a documentary titled "An American Family", which chronicled the lives of the Loudons and became the template for what was to come years later.  It also ended up ruining the lives of the Loudons.

Ultimately, these shows live and die by how many people choose to watch them, the way it's always been done since the days of Milton Berle.  That's right.  We are the ones who help keep the minor celebrities and parents with multiple kids in business with our remotes.  We are also the ones that can send them to join the millions who are already on the unemployment line.  For one thing, Fox recently announced that it is dropping its Reality Channel next spring.

That's reality, folks.

No Happy Landing For "Balloon Boy" Stunt

I don't mind telling you that I had real problems coming up with a blog post about the runaway balloon that drifted over the skies of Colorado Thursday.  I couldn't justify writing about what the Sheriff of Larimer County called a hoax that wasted everyone's time and resources when there was the possibility of a six-year old boy with his life in danger, only to find that he had been hiding in his room the whole time.

It belongs right up there with O.J. Simpson's slow-speed car chase and the body of Michael Jackson being transported from his home to the coroner's office in the TV Rubberneckers hall of fame.

The sheriff said in a news conference Sunday that the parents of the boy, Richard and Mayumi Heene, may soon have charges filed against them.  (Some of you might remember the Heenes from the TV show "Wife Swap".)  Richard is accused of staging this stunt to get the attention of Hollywood producers who might give him another reality TV show.  Curiously, none of the charges involve child endangerment.

The Heene family made appearances on several TV shows since the incident, two of which the boy in question got sick on the air.  Whatever is going on in that family can best be explained by the Dr. Phils of the world.

As for the cable networks that went with this story wall-to-wall, it's not worth wasting any space pontificating on the Decline and Fall of the Mainstream Media.  Big deal.  We knew that already.

What I'm saying is that this is a sad story, and it's bound to get sadder as it goes along for everyone involved. 

No Rush To Judgment in St. Louis

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

You are the nation's best-known and most-listened-to radio talk show host, making millions of dollars per year.  You are the de facto head of the Republican Party (or so you'd like to believe), turned the word 'liberal' into an epithet, and is openly rooting for the failure of President Barack Obama's administration.  What do you do for an encore?

If you're Rush Limbaugh, you become part of a group that wants to buy the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League, a franchise worth (according to Forbes magazine) $929 million.  To some people, that would be like Don Imus owning a pro basketball team.

The Rams are currently on a 15-game losing streak dating back to last season, having already been shredded by the Minnesota Vikings 38-10 last Sunday, and are generally considered to be the worst in the league now that the Detroit Lions have actually won a game.

They used to be called the Greatest Show on Turf, having been to two Super Bowls since moving from Los Angeles in 1995.  Now they're just getting turfed.

Limbaugh is receiving attention for this because, during his brief stint as an ESPN football commentator in 2003, he said that Donovan McNabb of the Philadelphia Eagles was overrated by the news media because they wanted an African-American quarterback to succeed.  With that, Limbaugh was asked to leave ESPN.

African-American leaders such as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, as well as the NFL's players union, have come out against Limbaugh's plans to buy the Rams, calling on league owners to reject him based on his racial track record.

I used to listen to Limbaugh when he began in syndication, but I stopped doing that when his one-note brand of conservatism and his unwillingness to listen to other points of view wore thin on me.  Having said that, I believe Limbaugh has every right to spend his money as he sees fit.

The NFL, however, is obligated to promote tolerance and respect to its players and fans regardless of race, creed and religion.  Letting Limbaugh own the Rams would defeat that purpose, and the league would do well to weigh that as the ownership process continues.

Nobel Rewards Hope

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

President Barack Obama said he was as surprised as anyone when he heard the news that he had won the Nobel Peace Prize.  So were we.  He's only been in office nine months.  What did he do to deserve this?

Obama joins Theodore Roosevelt (1906) and Woodrow Wilson (1919) as the only sitting U.S. Presidents to have won the award.  Jimmy Carter won his in 2000, long after he left the White House.

The voting actually occured in February, so it could have been for Obama's being the first African-American man to become President.  That's accomplishment enough for some people.  Or maybe the voters saw the throngs gathering to hear his message of inspiration and hope, which after a decade of war and terrorism was like a fresh breeze.

But there's an awful lot on Obama's plate that could call into question the Nobel Committee's judgement:  the stalemate over health care reform, whether or not to send more troops into Afghanistan, what to do about the economy, etc.

Consevatives, who always seem to find new ways to demonize Obama whether it's good for the country or not, are complaining that the Peace Prize is Europe's way of dissing the accomplishments of George W. Bush when he was in office.  Given the way Bush alienated the rest of the world (and some Americans) with an arrogance that passed for diplomacy, he might have deserved some kind of an award.  It's certainly not for peace.

In this culture of diminished expectations, winning the Nobel Peace Prize is going to put a new burden on Obama's shoulders.  He will now be expected to emulate past winners such as Albert Schweitzer, Martin Luther King, Jr., Norman Borlaug (who passed away recently), Amnesty International, Anwar Sadat, Menachem Begin, Mother Teresa, Lech Walesa, Desmond Tutu, Mikhail Gorbachev, Elie Wiesel, the Dalai Lama. Aung San Suu Kyi and Nelson Mandela.  No need to ask what they have accomplished.

That way we'll know whether Obama deserves a second Nobel Peace Prize.  Which would be a real accomplishment because no person has won it twice.

Re-Imagining History

Image via Wikipedia

On October 8, 1944, Wendell Willkie died at the age of 52 of heart disease.  He was best known as the Republicans' choice in 1940 to deny Democrat Franklin Roosevelt a third term as President of the United States.

A corporate attorney who had never run for public office before, Willkie had been a lifelong Democrat until disagreements with FDR's New Deal policies prompted him to change parties in 1939.

Despite having more votes than any other Republican presidential candidate up to that time, Willkie lost to Roosevelt because, with the Second World War well underway and the U.S. remaining on the sidelines, voters felt this was not the time to turn things over to someone else.

I'm reminded of this because of a program I heard on WCCO radio some years ago.  It was called "Imagination Theater", one of those attempts to bring radio drama into the modern era..  On this particular episode (this may not be entirely accurate), a man goes into a small California town and finds hostility and suspicion.  He hears news bulletins from the Blue Network (an actual radio network which was the predecessor to ABC) reporting that the Germans were bombing the East Coast while the Japanese were invading the West.

The man was told that Willkie was elected President in 1940 after FDR had died..

That got me wondering, Were the people behind "Imagination Theater" implying that, had anyone other than Roosevelt been President during World War II, the United States would have lost?

According to Wikipedia, Willkie has been used as a fictional character in other so-called "alternative histories" such as Phillip Roth's novel The Plot Against America.  In that book, Charles Lindbergh defeated Willkie for the presidency on the promise of keeping the country out of war.

I'm not a big fan of "alternative history" books, which tend to ask such provocative questions as:  What if the South had won the Civil War?  Or, what would have happened if the Cuban Missile Crisis had escalated into nuclear war?  Do we really want to know the answers?

Willkie tried to run again in 1944, but got stiffed by a Republican Party that didn't like his cozying up to Roosevelt's wartime policies.  Instead they went with Thomas Dewey, who proceeded to lose to FDR's drive for a fourth term in the general election.

Let's cook up a little "alternative history" of our own:  Had Willkie been elected in '40 instead of Roosevelt, the new president would have been dead one month before he was up for re-election, throwing the country into a constitutional crisis.  Also, he would not have seen the end of World War II.  Then again, neither did FDR, who died a few weeks before the Nazis surrendered.

In this age of partisanship gone amuck, it's useful to be reminded that what happened happened, and we can either learn from history or we won't.  Leave the "alternative history" to the fiction writers.

Extra Innings For The Metrodome

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

There's been a stay of execution for the much-maligned baseball palace known as the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, which will now run for one or two more games, at the very least.

This improbable turn of events was created by the Minnesota Twins' catching--and surpassing--the Detroit Tigers to win the American League Central title with a dramatic 6-5 victory in 12 innings Tuesday night.

Detroit had led the Twins by seven games at the beginning of September.  But just like they did in 2006, the Tigers choked it all away on the final day.  While national television announcers kept telling us how wonderful the success of the Tigers would be for the economically depressed city of Detroit, the baseball team reacted as if they were running out of gas on the way to a Cash for Clunkers promotion.

The Twins, despite the prospect of seeing more money come in from their new ball park, are still acting as if they're on a Walmart budget (or is it Dollar General?).  Instead, they used their free agent  money and spent it on Orlando Cabrera, Carl Pavano, and whoever else they could fit in from AAA Rochester.  Add to that injuries to key regulars such as Justin Morneau and Francisco Liriano, and you wonder how the Twins made it this far.

By the time you see this, the Twins will be playing Game 1 of the American League Divisional Series against the Yankees in New York.  The Bronx Bombers would have been heavily favored in this series no matter who they played.  In fact, I see them in the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Stranger things have happened, you know.  The Twins could actually win a game.