Tidbits

A smattering of things that have amused and/or annoyed me this week:

There is this hilarious collection of on-camera meltdowns by news anchors, which was inspired by one of our local nightly news people shouting, on live television, "What the f%^$ are you doing?" in the middle of a promo for a story that was to be coming up at eleven.  (Incidentally, what is Leslie Stahl wearing in her clip?  It looks like a bridesmaid's dress circa 1981.  Is that what the hard-core Washington reporters wore back then?  Puffy sleeves and frosted peach chiffon?)

Until last night, I was quite ashamed to still be following "American Idol" (WHY do I keep getting sucked in?  WHY?), but after Fantasia's guest performance, I can say I was thrilled to be an audience member.  Her totally incomprehensible number (as in, I could not understand a single word of the song and didn't have any idea what she was doing with her body at any given time) was somehow the greatest thing I've seen on television in ages. 

Even better, toward the end of the song, they cut to Simon Cowell and caught him in one of the best reaction shots on live TV ever -- his mouth was agape, jaw totally slack, and he had the look of a man who had just watched aliens land in his backyard and scurry out of the mother ship to begin colonizing the planet.  Check it out:

It was completely and utterly insane, and I loved it.  (Although I would embrace anything that gets David A., mumbly muppet that he is, off my TV for a minute or two, with his pandering song choices and wide-eyed naivete.  "Gosh!"  Ugh.)

On another note, in case you hadn't heard, there was a mind-blowingly stupid contest run by the Today show (sponsored by Teleflora) that deemed adoptive mothers to be "Non-Moms."  That's right!  NON.  MOMS.  I mean, morning "news"/talk shows are about the lowest common denominator there is, but you'd think they would have a modicum of...not even sensitivity, but COMMON SENSE to recognize that, um, mothers are mothers no matter how their children arrived in their homes.  (And why the categories, anyway?  WHY ANY CONTEST AT ALL??) 

I'm usually pretty laid back about this sort of thing and try not to get too screechy/defensive about people's (unfortunately common) ignorance of/failure to recognize adoption and non-biological families or whatever, but this really sent me over the edge.  Fortunately, I never watch the Today show anyway, and I don't need Teleflora and their crappy-ass flowers, so they can SUCK IT.

To round out the jackassery portion of this week, there is this man, who stands as a perfect example of why I am, at times, embarrassed to say I'm from Georgia.  This has to be the best line in the article:  "He sees nothing wrong with depicting a prominent African-American as a monkey."  Riiiight.  Yeah.  Nothing wrong with that at all.  Hey, maybe he can print up some shirts that say "Adoptive Moms = Non Moms", too, and call it a day! 

I'm just so happy to be living in such an enlightened society here in 2008. 

Comments

[Allison]

In regards to the Curious George thing: Wowsers.

[Gina]

Even if Obama was a low life criminal, the shirt would still be disgusting. What the hell is wrong with people?

[terriwc]

ah, but the LaGrange Daily News published a letter to the editor the other day in which the woman writer, who is supposed to be a die hard Democrat, "wants a President who has an American Name!" and if someone whose name is "foreign" is elected, then Congress will pass a law that any one from anywhere in the world can be elected president and we will no longer be America. Good heavenly days! What an embarrassment.

[Mandee]

Seriously. How humiliating is that guy in Marietta? As a South Georgia native, I'm just so relieved he is from Atlanta and not my neck of the woods. I can't remember now what it was, but I remember hearing something else stupid on the news this week and being relieved it wasn't in the south.

That Fantasia clip is classic.

[Tara]

Your sarcasm never fails to make me smile. I always save your blog for last on my Google reader because it's always my favorite. Thanks for expressing so accurately what so many of us who lack the eloquence wish we could. :) ~Tara in Tokyo

[nonsoccermom]

I couldn't get the link to the Today show thing to work, but really? Non-moms? That's just horrible. My dad's sister adopted an infant 24 years ago, and he's been her son and my cousin ever since. He just is, end of story. It doesn't matter that she didn't give birth to him! That doesn't make her less of a mom!! Why would people say such a thing? She is a tremendous mother (just as you will be) and consequently he is an awesome person and I am just too flabbergasted for words. GAH. The end.

[Jamie]

Holy shit! Fantasia certainly thinks she has the sassy jazz walk down pat, no?

I never got into AI (in fact, I've never seen a single episode), so perhaps this is a neophytic observation...but...all I could think about while she was out there was "jiggle, jiggle, jiggly jiggle jig." Girlfriends needs some supportive undergarments. Top and bottom. I'm just sayin'.

[-R-]

I LOVED Simon's look in that clip. Awesome.

But I disturbed by the monkey and non-mom issues. Man.

[H]

I love Fantasia too and I was so hoping David A. would not make it to the final two. I agree with your assessment of him and, as pathetic as it sounds, I don't want him to win because of his dad! If David A. is good enough to break out, he will whether he wins or not so I just don't want his dad to have the satisfaction. I feel badly for the boy. Go David C.!

[rachel]

I was at a total loss for words when I saw the man and his monkey shirts. I mean how ignorant can one person really be?

This has been a bad week for news people, hasn't it? Just when I was cracking up over the O'Reilly Inside Edition outburst, I hear the f-bomb come flying out of that lady's mouth. Oh man, how I wish I lived in NY at that precise moment! :)

[Lara]

There is so much to love in this post that I don't even know where to begin! Fantasia's insane performance! Simon's hilarious expression! Annoyance at David Archupukea! And everything else! I heart you. (and, apparently, exclamation points).