Michele Bachmann: Misguided Knight of Freedom?

English: Official photo of Congresswoman (R-MN) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota is a modern-day Don Quixote, riding her horse and tilting at the ideological windmills across the countryside, warning the people about evils real or imagined.  All the while, what she's really doing is to call attention to herself now that she's no longer running for President.

The Republican Tea Party darling's latest attempt at derring-do is about the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamic organizations, who she says are infiltrating the U.S. government and is in the process of overthrowing it.  The Brotherhood was recently successful in getting one of their own elected president of Egypt.

Bachmann has accused Huma Abedin, a State Department employee who serves as an aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,of having ties with the Brotherhood while having a security clearance.  That charge has yet to be proven, but it did result in Abedin getting police protection because of death threats.

When fellow Minnesota congressman Keith Ellison, a Democrat who happens to be the only Muslim to hold that office, tried to complain to Bachmann about her allegation, she accused him of being in cahoots with the Brotherhood as well.  It wouldn't surprise anyone if Bachmann claims to have access to Ellison's Muslim name, if he indeed has one.

Both political parties have come out against Bachmann's headline-grabbing finger pointing.  The few Republicans who have been brave enough to criticize her include Arizona Senator John McCain and Speaker of the House John Boehner.  The rest have backed off because they'd rather talk about the economy in this election year, rather than have to explain Bachmann's antics to voters.

As an experienced Congresswoman and failed presidential candidate, Bachmann seems to have all the credibility she thinks she needs.  As a member of the House Intelligence Committee, with access to classified documents, she can make all the accusations she wants without having to prove a thing in public.   Another congressional perk:  She can't be sued for libel.

Is this all on the up-and-up, or is it just another election-year ploy for Bachmann to scare her constituents in the Sixth District into giving her another term?  It's not as if she needs the help.  She's the heavy favorite against somebody named Jim Graves, who's running as a Democrat in a conservative district.

As long as voters keep sending Michele Bachmann to Washington, she'll continue to figuratively sound the alarm on causes she considers just, no matter many people she hurts and how many of her colleagues ignore her at their own peril.  Because who knows?  She might actually be right someday.

Reel to Too Real in Colorado

AURORA, CO - JULY 20: A Popcorn box lies on the ground outside Century 16 movie theatre where a gunmen attacked movie goers during an early morning screening of the new Batman movie, 'The Dark Knight Rises' July 20, 2012 in Aurora, outside of Denver, Colorado. According to reports, 12 people have been killed and at least 59 wounded when James Holmes allegedly opened fire inside the a movie theater showing the 'The Dark Knight Rises.' Police have James, 24, of Holmes of North Aurora, in custody. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

It's lovely in the Rocky Mountains at this time of year, as people bask in the natural beauty that John Denver once sang about.   As for the rest of the state of Colorado, it's getting considerably uglier.  First, Colorado Springs was nearly burned to the ground by wildfires.  Now, not far from where the Columbine High School massacre in 1999 took place, the Denver area has another one of those to deal with. 

At an Aurora movie complex, where a midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" was taking place, a man tossed a smoke bomb and started shooting at the audience.  As of Friday night, according to the website for ABC station KMGH, 12 people are dead and 58 are wounded.

Police arrested James Holmes, who they believe is the only suspect in the shootings and is not terrorist-related.  Not only was Holmes alleged to have brought four legally-bought assault weapons into the theater, but he was reported to have told police his apartment nearby is ringed with explosives.

Along with reporting on the dead and injured in a situation like this, the media usually like to "include" the fact that women and children were involved, as if they're a special species apart from humankind.  In this case, a months-old infant was injured in the shooting, then released from the hospital.  Excuse me.  This was a movie that was shown after midnight.  What the hell were the parents thinking, letting their kids out at that hour?

This isn't the first time tragedy has visited the current "Batman" movie franchise.  Heath Ledger, who played The Joker in the first "Dark Knight" installment, had died after filming due to a drug overdose.  He was awarded posthumously in 2008 with an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.  (Holmes was said to have told police that he came into the Aurora theater pretending to be the Joker.)

In times like these, people running for public office usually say something pious like this:  "Now is not the time for politics.  We must all stand together as Americans.  Our hearts go out to the victims of this terrible tragedy".  Too late.  ABC News had to back off of a Brian Ross report linking the alleged shooter to the Tea Party.  And CNN aired a political attack ad from President Obama's campaign during its coverage of the massacre.

Gun control?  Are you kidding?

Coming soon to a theater near you?  Security checkpoints, where you can either be wanded, or poked and prodded by a minimum-wage screener.  That'll add a buck or two to the price you already pay just to buy a ticket to the latest Hollywood blockbuster.

Once you finally get in to see the movie and pay extra for those big tubs of butter-drenched popcorn and soda, you'll also have to endure on-screen commercials and rude patrons with smart phones.  Now you have to worry about some individual whose actions don't gibe with what's on the screen.

Apropos of nothing, Warner Brothers is expected to rake in billions of dollars around the world for "The Dark Knight Rises".  Understandably, the studio is keeping a low profile on this one, giving sympathy to the victims of the massacre while watching the money roll in.

You know who really benefits from all of this, unseemly as it sounds?  Netflix, and other new technologies where it's now possible to stream movies from your computer.  Not only is it cheaper and safer, but there simply is no movie out there that can't wait a few months for the video release.

Yes, it is lovely in the Rockies this time of year.  In the shadow of the mountains, families will be grieving for the ones who thought the violence of Gotham City existed only on the big screen, instead of being right in front of them.  So did we.

Tom Barnard Sticks With KQRS. World Disaster Averted.

92 KQRS Morning Show (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Proof that the Mayan Apocalypse isn't happening:  Tom Barnard is remaining with KQRS (92.5 FM) as ringmaster of "The KQ Morning Show" until 2016.  Barnard had previously announced that he was leaving the Twin Cities-based station when his contract came up this coming December, which just happens to be when the Mayan calendar was ending.

Barnard has been at KQ for a quarter century, with much of it spent at the top of the local morning radio ratings--some would say by default, because of the lack of quality competition on other stations.  There have also been times when Barnard's mocking of certain minority groups made headlines, causing KQRS management to make apologies and promises to the aggrieved parties that it would never happen again.

Lately, Barnard has been ripping KQ's current owner Cumulus Media on the air for its allegedly poor treatment of its employees and the radio stations they run.  So it's surprising that Barnard and Cumulus have decided to stay together.  Either they needed each other, or Barnard figured he had nowhere else to go.

As part of the new deal, Barnard's show now runs nearly four and a half hours from 5:38 to 10 a.m., which means he's no longer throwing it to Wally Walker at 9:20 with another long set of classic rock.  What will he do with the extra time?

KQRS is no longer the powerhouse radio station it used to be in the Twin Cities market.  That honor now belongs to (depending on the ratings book) country K102, adult hits KS95, and contemporary KDWB.  KQ has had a classic album rock sound since the 1970s, and its listeners are growing old along with it.

So what's Cumulus gonna do about it?  They have already switched the Love 105 stations to an adult contemporary format.  They're starting all-news stations on FM in some cities.  And they've made a distribution deal with the new CBS Sports Radio network, which will replace the one they've had with ESPN.  They could change KQ or sister rock station 93X into a news or sports outlet if they really wanted to.

Or Cumulus could decide to keep things the way they are.  Given the way the radio business is going, it's possible that the only local voice left on KQRS by 2016 could be Tom Barnard--if he's there long enough.  Everything else will be programmed by computer from somewhere else.  It may not be the end of the world, in terms of radio.  It'll just seem like it.

Randy Shaver: Third Time Lucky

KARE (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Randy Shaver has been at KARE (Channel 11) for nearly three decades, the last few years as the Twin Cities' NBC affiliate's sports director.  On occasion he's been moonlighting as a substitute news anchor, and apparently he did such a good job that he found himself on the short list as a future candidate to sit next to co-anchor Julie Nelson.

Having been passed over twice, Shaver finally gets his chance as KARE's new evening and 10 p.m. news anchor, starting July 16.  He replaces Mike Pomeranz, who moved to California to work on San Diego Padres baseball telecasts.

It doesn't sound as if KARE or its parent company Gannett put much effort into finding a replacement for Pomeranz.  Instead, what they probably did was to give Shaver a test run before offering him the job.

Shaver isn't the first sports guy in this market to make the switch to news.  There's Jeff Passolt at KMSP (Channel 9), who used to do sports on KARE.  Joe Schmit of KSTP (Channel 5) briefly co-anchored "5 Eyewitness News" in between stints as the station's sports director.  And Eric Perkins doubles as weekend news and sports anchor on KARE.

With ESPN and the Internet, there's not much of a need for folks to tune in to see how the local sports teams did these days.  (In fact, there are some local stations that have dropped the sports segments on newscasts.)  Instead, if it's a major sports story such as the Minnesota Wild signing two big-name free agents or the latest Viking to run afoul of the law, you're more likely to find it at the top of the newscast alongside the Amy Senser trial coverage and the anchors promoting their latest projects.

Shaver isn't abandoning sports completely.  He's still going to recap high school football games on "Prep Sports Extra" during the fall, which doesn't leave much to do for whoever replaces Shaver as sports director.

With Shaver's promotion, KARE should become less of a girls' club than they already are, matching its suburban mom audience.  Besides Nelson, there's weekend anchor Rena Sargianopolous, Belinda Jensen on weather, and reporters Jana Shortal and Lindsay Seavert (who just moved over from WCCO).  How many male personalities on the station can you name besides Shaver, Perkins and Boyd Huppert?

Randy Shaver should do well in his new position.  But the fact that he is now a news anchor after so many years in sports raises an interesting point.  Anybody can read what someone else has written on a Teleprompter, and sound like he or she knows what they're talking about.  Anybody.  At least that's what they seem to teach in News Anchoring 101.

UPDATE;  Shaver's old position has been filled by none other than Eric Perkins, who takes over as KARE's sports director as soon as the Olympics are over.  Which means he's no longer going to double-dip in news and sports on weekends.  And maybe, just maybe, he'll get over himself and grow up.

Andy Griffith (1926-2012): Mayberry's Finest

N_79_1_10 Andy Griffith (Photo credit: State Archives of North Carolina)

On Monday nights in the 1960s, viewers gathered in front of their TVs to watch the adventures of Sheriff Andy Taylor, enforcing law and order in the small North Carolina town of Mayberry.  Unlike the rest of America at that time, Mayberry had almost no crime, and the stories were mostly about Taylor's relationship with the townsfolk and his family.

It was called "The Andy Griffith Show", which began as a spinoff from "The Danny Thomas Show".  It ran on CBS from 1960-68, and continues to be popular in reruns today.  Tuesday, the show's star and namesake died in his North Carolina home at age 86.

"The Andy Griffith Show" created so many other memorable characters besides Sheriff Taylor.  There was Barney Fife (played by Don Knotts), Gomer Pyle (who moved on to his own show), Goober (played by George Lindsey, who died recently) and Aunt Bea, just to name a few.  Taylor's son Opie was played by Ron Howard, who is now an Oscar-winning movie director.

(To those who complained that "The Andy Griffith Show" should have had blacks in the cast, they need to be reminded that the 1960s were a racially sensitive time.  Appalling as it sounds, if there was so much as one African-American face in Mayberry, CBS would have lost sponsors and stations in the South over this.)

Before Griffith hit it big on TV, he began his career in the 1950s as a standup comedian.  Then he had a starring role on Broadway and in the movies in "No Time For Sergeants".  In 1957, Griffith turned to drama as a country bumpkin-turned-power mad TV star in the film "A Face In The Crowd".  This is a role that's as far away from Andy Taylor as you're going to get.  Watch this movie the next time TCM shows it.

Griffith had one more TV success after his Mayberry days ended, and that was as a crusading attorney in the "Perry Mason" mode named Ben Matlock.  "Matlock" ran for nearly a decade (1986-95) on NBC and ABC.

For eight seasons on TV, Mayberry was this mythical nirvana of small-town values populated by down-to earth citizens.  Andy Griffith made this come alive.  And if you listen closely, you could still hear Sheriff Taylor whistling a tune as he takes Opie fishing.