I have a great appreciation for the work John Madden did as analyst for CBS and Fox. He was always honest and fair in his assessments on the field. His enthusiasm and knowledge will be missed. But 30 years in the booth after a successful coaching career was a great run!
Where is Samuel Jackson when you need him? Apparently not in Australia as they had to cancel a couple flights because some pythons escaped from a container on a passenger flight. A PASSENGER FLIGHT? I wonder if they told the passengers they were flying with pythons.
I like Ed Rollins because he always keeps it real regardless of political affiliations. Which is why I have to give it to him for his praise of President Obama in handling the Somali pirate crisis and saving the life of a ship’s captain.
Where the hell are Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and the likes on this matter? I can’t hear them at all. I’m certain they would rather things gone awry regardless of the captain’s ultimate fate since it would give them fodder to spill their hate filled rage against the man.
Instead of the praise they should offer as Americans… all we have is silence!
The date was June 17, 1994 – An event that changed news and the way it was reported forever. The scene… a Southern California freeway, the 405 to be exact!
Every television station in the country honed in on the signal from the local news chopper following the infamous white Ford Bronco as Los Angles police vehicles pursued slowly behind. Inside the SUV were Al Cowlings and some guy named Orenthal James Simpson. Simpson had failed to show up at one of the police department precincts as agreed upon between his attorneys and investigators to inquire about the double murder of his wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman. While there were over a thousand reporters who showed up for what they though would be Simpson turning himself in, now there were an estimated 95 million watching on television. This was “Cops” before there were cops. This was a live pursuit of a famous football player, movie star, sports announcer and rental car pitchman who a large portion of America recognized on sight and adored. He was suspected of killing his wife and her companion, a white woman no less. And word on the street was that he made what seemed like threats to kill himself during this slow chase.
And this my friends is in my opinion the event that changed the way the news is reported forever. The subsequent rumors, innuendos and gossip that followed leading up to the trial became headline news from LA to Boston, from Minnesota to Texas… the OJ trial was the talk of the nation. Names like Kato, Darden, Fuhrman, Garcetti, Ito, Clark, Cochran, and Dershowitz became household. And there was a demand to get the inside scoop on it so they added legal experts like Greta Van Susteren to the mix. She ended up with her own TV show and after the trial a show called Court TV was born. All because of this OJ event.
What I remember most was the verdict. It was broadcast all over radio and television. At the time I worked at a company where our whole operation depended on telephone lines being manned at all times. Each of us operators left our desk and gathered around a radio at the reception area and the boss didn’t utter a word. She was right there with us. When they read the not guilty verdicts the reaction of the White secretary said it all. She burst into tears on the spot sobbing as if Nicole were her sister. Most black folk including myself were not as convinced of Simpson’s guilt, especially in light of the way the police handled the evidence as well as the lying testimony of bigot Mark Furhman. Nevertheless the country was split straight down the middle. White folks were going Hebrew biblical tearing their clothes in sat-cloth and ashes. Black folks who honestly didn’t give a damn about OJ post his Buffalo Bills playing days, felt it was about time a black man wasn’t convicted just because he was accused even as white folks wanted his head passionately regardless of evidence. Opinions ran strong and feeling deeply expressed across offices nationwide. This took the sensationalism of the news media to a whole new level.
Initially we had investigative journalistic shows like Geraldo Rivera. He made the genre famous and paved the way for Hard Copy and from there we got a mild but now notorious blowhard Bill O’Reilly on Inside Edition. By then that Pandora’s Box had been slammed wide open as television producers figured that they could combine the news with the gossip. Stations like CNN and Fox News were popular, but the OJ trial put them over the top as viewers flocked their cable stations to see the latest speculation and opinions of so called experts. Local news cast figured they’d better get in on the mix less they be left out. I mean who wants to hear about local politics and the school board when Cochran was rhyming, “If it doesn’t fit you must acquit?” And if that wasn’t enough, once Princess Diana was killed in that car accident, it was a wrap! News and popular culture would be forever intertwined with mainstream media.
I believe this is the origin of and main reason we suffer from a news media that is so entertainment centered while the important issues get’s dilluted. Bleeding no longer leads as much as scandal sales.
So there you have it!
That’s my take. What’s yours?
Back in the day my first preference in life was to play professional baseball. I was really good at it and had a legit shot at it till life happened. My second choice was to write, specifically to do journalistic work. This birth began with my father who read the newspaper religiously. I remember when I used to carry a briefcase to school everyday where I carried my books and my own personal copy of the daily news. Then I became assistant editor of my high school newspaper “The Lincoln Echo.”
My first article was on amateur boxer Arthur Johnson who was a classmate of mine. Arthur went on to be a three time Amateur AAU flyweight champion, represented the United States in the 1988 Olympics, and enjoyed a lot of success in the professional ranks. Most of all, Arthur is a great guy whom I still have the pleasure of running into every now and then.
I loved the entire production of creating the newspaper. And as an adult I continued to read various morning wraps and there was nothing like reading the Sunday paper over a large breakfast. That was the life! Whenever I would go out of town the first thing I would do is grab the local paper, just to see how others reported. If someone close to me went out of town, I didn’t ask for a shot glass. I wanted the local paper.
Well sadly the newspaper has long suffered a steady demise. There are many reasons for it, but I think along with corporate strongholds taking over the news media, the saddest thing about the news now is that it’s too laden with entertainment and things that just don’t matter. I can hardly stomach the news now because too much of it caters to the most simple of the population. The basic news cast is around 22 minutes plus commercials. Throw in weather and sports and there is not that much time. And yet with all of the things going on in the world and in local communities, we are constantly bombarded with dumb stuff.
Let’s set aside for the moment the old theme of, “If it bleeds it leads.” I can understand trying to turn a scoop on some hot and provocative story. Let’s talk about ‘news’ that isn’t even news. There are some things I see on my news cast and I say to myself, “Why is this crap on the news?” I offer a few examples:
Octomom
Somebody please tell me why this heifer is on my newscast everyday? Who cares that she’s nutty and had all these kids and is a porno candidate? She is clearly a nutcase. And sure maybe the day she blows out those eight kids it’s a news story. But seriously… do we have have to have an eye out for her daily comings and goings? What? Jessica Simpson didn’t want any of that? Is this news? Hell naw!
Levi Johnston, aka Bristol Palin’s Baby’s-Daddy
It ain’t like Palin’s the president. She ain’t the VP, Secretary of State or any of that. She is the Alaska governor who was a disaster as a VP candidate. Her daughter is just another single mother who decided to screw someone for his looks and because he showed all the rebellious aspects of a so-called bad boy. Typical! What else is new? How many teenage girls DON”T go for that? Now that they have gone their separate ways, for some strange reason what he or Bristol says about their relationship makes the “news.” But is this news? Hell naw!
American Idol
I know it’s the top rated TV show. I get it! But is it necessary for every local Fox affiliate to show both daily and nightly updates as to which karaoke singer did what as well as who Randy “dogged” and what Paula and Simon said? Again we’re talking about around 22 minutes right?
I could go on as there are many more un-news worthy stories circulating all the time. This is part of the reason why so many Americans are shallow and unsophisticated. Entertainment and gossip have killed the purity of reporting and journalism. This is why I am glad I did not choose to get into that field. No way I would be able to stand working in such an environment of utter simplicity.
Tomorrow, I will discuss where I believe this all began.
As we approach this holiday that we call Easter or Resurrection Sunday as the new term goes among Christians, I can recall how I viewed the most famous Sunday of the year. My first memory was the first Easter egg hunting contest I participated in at the age of 4. It was at Frank Holten State Park in East St. Louis with Mt. Sinai Baptist Church. This was the first time that I discovered my competitive streak because I remember saying to myself, “I have to win this contest!” I was fired up! Next thing I know when they said, “Go!” I was out like a Child of the Corn snatching up eggs left and right under trees, bushes, leaves or whatever! I filled up with more than two dozen and smashed the competition. I enjoyed the praise from my mother and felt that first sense of pride and accomplishment. Sadly I never won another egg hunting contest. But who cares right?
As a side note on the egg hunting subject: I can’t help but remember my friend Allison who has three dogs. The animals are her “kids” if you will. And I remember that in years past she would have Easter egg hunts among her pets. I witnessed one of these and it was just hilarious as she hid the eggs and then told the doggies to go for it. Of course they would look at her like, “What the hell?” Then she would blissfully lead each one to find their own eggs. “Over here Snickers…look! Ohhh you found it!” (Clapping) A God loving Lutheran from Wisconsin, it was all about tradition and love. I admired her commitment. But it was still funny!
The next thing that comes to mind about Easter is the infamous speeches we had to give in church. I remember my first one of course. I was pressed in my new suit and clean with my tight hair cut. It was pretty simple since I was pretty young. I stood in front of the church in silence, just long enough to make them think I had forgotten my lines. Then burst out with, “What are you looking at me for? I didn’t come to stay. I just came to say Happy Easter Day!” To which they all laughed and I was relieved. See I was just a little tot, but that line was befitting my stage of advancement. No way I was going to just accept saying, “Jesus wept.” I knew that was weak!
When I was about 12 or 13 the stakes got raised. At Mt. Calvary Baptist in South Bend, we had a sunrise Easter play. No biggie. I would just be a disciple or something. Something without too many lines. But no! The teacher who also happened to be my principal at school Mr. Jordan thought that I should be Jesus. I was like, “Noooooooo!” cause he was the main character and had tons of lines. I was not trying to remember all those lines. Who did he think I was? Billy D. Williams or something? “Look man, I can be a great sheep!” But no. He said, “I think you’re the brightest kid here. I know you can handle it.” Geeeez!
The play was pretty serious which included me carrying the cross on my back to the choir stand and being crucified. I got through the lines pretty well too with the exception of the one time I got in the middle of the B-Attitudes… “Blessed are the uhhhh… (silence) …they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” (Sigh)
As an adult, now I look at Easter as the one day I won’t go to church cause it’s so crowded. When I attended church regularily, I looked at it as giving up my seat for those who would only attend this one day a year. I also see the Saturday before Easter as the one day you don’t want to be caught needing a haircut cause you can forget it as every black man with a fade, crop, or afro would be lined up trying to get that fresh cut to go with that suit he’s going to buy later on that day. Ha! That is for the birds. Now Easter for me is an easy going Sunday that I hope to just relax on. Sure I remember the resurrection, but it’s something I tend to think of several hundred times the rest of the year. Neither of these remembrances require a speech, a play, an egg hunt, a hair cut, nor a suit. And I am cool with that.
Finally OUR center Andrew Bynum is about to return just in time to get ready for the playoffs!
I do know this for sure… companies or organizations that decide to send their crews and ships in these waters without armed security are flat out dumb. Sure it cost to secure the ships, but the way the ransom’s are being doled out it cost more NOT to safely protect the crew and cargo.
Though I love the Tennessee Lady Volunteers, I can’t be mad at UConn for utterly dominating the entire field of women’s college basketball for a whole season.
When I watched the open practices the other day I looked for Maya Moore and Renee Montgomery because they were all the hype on TV. Both of them are outstanding. But the player I was most impressed with was center Tina Charles. Watching the Jamaica, NY native it was clear that her skill set was some of the best I’ve seen. So it’s no surprise that she dominated the championship game with 25 points and 19 rebounds. She was just poetry and power in motion.
Geno Auriemma is no joke as a coach either. I listened to him talk to some television people including former Huskie Rebecca’s Lobo the other day and it’s easy to see how he masters the art of motivation. I mean he can talk for days and days about whatever subject and you have to listen to him because he is so provocative. Typically Italian he’s going on with the hands and the hair is perfect. But the knowledge is simple and profound. This guy is an old school throwback of values and simplicity for excellence. I can’t hate him like I used to.
Since being in office he’s done all but taken us back towards a total dictatorship as well as fattened up his stock in Haliburton by giving them practically every no bid governmental contract available.
Now he’s out the big house and can’t seem to stop hating on Obama because he is not the tyrannical torturing rights snatching jerk that he is. Cheney is a has been. Now he is just a bitter old man about to give himself another heart attack.
Memo to Dick: We had security issues before you came along and we will have them after you leave. No American thinks we are completely safe from anything. So quit with the Nostradomus act predicting disaster till something actually happens. 9-11 happened on YOUR watch! So deal with it! Oh yea that’s right, not only did you deal with it, you profited from it too. So spare me the dumb talk. Go hunt or something and shoot someone else “by mistake.” But please stay off of my TV saying the sky is going to fall! You are as relevant as Octomom!
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