Wednesday, September 28, 2005

cindy, judith and the dead

Something smells off to me about Judith Miller being suddenly released (to her specifications) from her pledge of journalistic source protection after 85 days of high-mindedness in jail. Of course, this whole messy story has had a slightly rancid odor from the day Robert Novak's now infamous article (of 7/14/03) was noticed.

Does Cindy want to join the professionally chattering classes as a speechifyer? Sounds like her bookings are mounting. If she tells all she knows in a speech, how long will it take? If she writes her own speeches? If her comments have to be coherent? If someone pays her to speak, will she show up with a better haircut? Better wardrobe? Looking more like Eleanor Roosevelt? Less like Helen Thomas?

I went to the web site where she is posting her thoughts, and was surprised that no one was editing/ghostwriting her entries--the woman is probably writing at an 8th grade level, and seems to be incapable of logical or critical thinking. (I do hope that someone is helping her write her speeches!) Rather than have to use her brain she goes straight for that good old post-modern chestnut "I don't think I can be challenged for my analysis of the war and for what I say because it is all the truth and comes from my heart". I guess as long as she feels it, that ought to be good enough for you and me. Wish some of my graduate and seminary profs would have cheerfully accepted a muddily thought out and lamely presented scholarly treatise because I thought it was truth and it came from my heart!

Someone posted (sorry, I've forgotten where I saw the caption, but the pic is ubiquitious) the snap of Cindy being carted off to jail grinning the other day with the sarcastic heading "I bet Casey's proud now". I hope that while still supporting me with their love, those loved ones from my life that have moved into a new relationship with God before me don't get to watch or be aware of all the stupid things I do.
Posted by Kate :: 2:31 PM :: 0 Comments:   

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--------------------------------------- stacking the deck

I like FNC, it's always on when I'm awake. I like Bill O'Reilly (this should probably be qualified in the near future for my dear readers). I'm sympathetic to and admiring of FNC's investment in their political stance, and tolerant of Bill's undisguised basic techniques of rhetoric and sometimes logical fallacies (as used in argument with his guests) in light of his background as a star debator and high school teacher. I don't even mind knowing that he will always (at least to his own satisfaction) win debates with all takers, as he ultimately controls the show. I don't mean to sound snarky here, I like Bill. I often agree with Bill. I usually think he's great fun.

But how easy did he have to make it for himself last night in his story about Air America's financial woes? Only the most rabid supporters of Air Am could refrain from giggling at their NPR/PBS style beg-a-thon, but Bill interviewed two people who basically agreed with him, so he could sit there nodding wisely and smirkily. Not great fun. Not really fun at all. Air America certainly has not come close to achieving their goals in financial support or in listenership, and has largely failed to strike a chord with mainstream dems. That makes them and their problems way too easy of a target for someone as sophisticated with language as is O'Reilly. Bill, if you can't find someone your own size to pick on next time, at least find some worthy advocate of the opposite cause, or risk looking like a bully.

Thinking about logical fallacies is reminding me of an amusing story I had to read for a rhetoric class in high school. One of Max Schulman's Dobie Gillis short stories was called (as I remember) "Love is a Fallacy"--note to self: go find it and reread.

Posted by Kate :: 8:03 AM :: 0 Comments:   

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Tuesday, September 27, 2005

how i see it--by beagan

This has to be quick. I'm writing to introduce myself while Tucker takes a bathroom break (terriers can't hold their liquids- Tucker has a bladder about the size of a raisin!) between hands of poker. Mom locks me in a spacious apartment while she shops, but Tucker (he calls it a crate--c'mon--I know from crate) and Tallis are always springing me. Tallis wants me to play church (not as fun as it sounds-she gets all the communion pizza and wine and then she preaches forever "repent, repent, the day of Tallis is at hand"), and Tucker wants a poker partner. Did you know that Tucker and me posed for those famous paintings (great art, real highbrow stuff ,especially on velvet) of "Dogs Playing Poker"? That's me giving Tucker the card he's looking for in "Friend in Need". Really, truly. Yup.

I'm the baby-dog here. I came from the tractor store in Howell last winter. Not sure why I was at a tractor store-Mom doesn't seem to think of me as a farm inplement. Heck, Mom wouldn't know from farm implement. Mom might not know what a farm is, but she does know a funny song about a farmer tan. Have her sing it for you sometime. It always makes me howl like a beagle.

Oh, yeah, TV. News. Well news is on TV, which I can't see too well, and which has barely any smell. Hardly ever seems new. Guess I like the news chicks. I like chicks--chicks like me. Mom sometimes lets her single guy friends take me for walks because pretty chicks always want to fuss over beagles. Beagles=date bait.

Oops. Noises from garage. Tucker, quick lock me in my spacious apartment before Mom figures out that we're having fun without her. I smell treats.

Posted by Kate :: 3:58 PM :: 0 Comments:   

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--------------------------------------- enough of m&j

or J&M, or whatever FNC decided to call Dayside with Linda Vester's replacement show. I've given it several weeks since its effectual change and more than a week since its official name change and launch, but I'm not warming up to it at all. I wasn't a real Linda fan, but thought that she brought a level of class, tastefulness and honesty to a dull hour--I can imagine watching her with my grandmother with neither of us being offended. (Being able to watch something with my grandmother is my litmus test of whether a show is suitable for all ages--forget the kiddies.) But Grandmother would be annoyed at Juliet's short skirts and Mike's constant adult innuendo, and I would be embarrassed for her, and neither one of us would be comfortable.

To be fair, I like Juliet Huddy and Mike Jerrick in other circumstances. Juliet is certainly one of the most beautiful women on TV, and I'd kill to have her legs. She has the ability to think and respond quickly, and this serves her well as a weekend "Friend"; has one mean hook shot, too. Mike's world weary facade and jaded manner are wanly funny, and I can imagine him as the uncle that no one is especially happy to have show up for holidays. I doubt that I'll ever become one of his admirers, but he's OK as a "Friend".

Anyway I'd been cruising along at 1p weekdays with them on in the background as I ate my salad and read. But last Friday, the day after the JetBlue near-disaster, I heard them say that the plane's safe landing was a really good thing, but it wasn't a miracle. This casual remark set me off thinking 1) that they really are annoying and shallow together and 2)about miracles. I think that we all can see miracles every day if we look for them, that grace is overwhelmingly present in the most mundane situations, and I think that along with fear and apprehension in that JetBlue plane were limitless grace and 144 miracles. Life is too short to spend an hour every afternoon with two people who see the world so differently than I do, and whom I don't much like anyway.

Will let you know how well CNN's Kira Phillips and I get along.

Posted by Kate :: 1:54 PM :: 1 Comments:   

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--------------------------------------- paging: new look for brian kilmeade

First off, I do have parameters about what I will publicly mock about TV personalities. Really do. Personal comments are OK, but no fair laughing about what peeps can't reasonably help. I.E. 1) won't giggle about weight gain, but too-tight clothes are fair game, 2) won't snicker at hair loss, but will laugh till I cry at Jim Angle's and Bill O'Reilly's combovers. 3) Won't scorn greying hair, but will gleefully point out users of "Just for Men". Getting older? We all are, but 4) won't comment snidely on wrinkles unless they are dramatically changed by artificial means. 5)Don't mind hair dyed a shade not found in nature, but will cheerfully point out roots of a different color (I cut a few of the FNC women some slack here when they were reporting from hurricane zones, assuming that keeping their jobs was more important to them than keeping their touch up appointments).

Having said that, and having trashed E.D.'s look a few weeks ago, Brian Kilmeade needs a makeover. No doubt he was the cutest little boy in grade school, the only lad without acne in middle school, the most popular guy in high school and the most-laid fellow in college. I had never seen him before last November, but I bet he was still being "carded" 5 years ago. But he's over 40 now (I know, because he said so on his birthday), and the flashing of dimples and the overly black hair smack more of clinging to youthful charm than they do of a mature sexiness and gravitas (OK, morning guys don't need much gravitas).

Have to be careful to follow my own rules here. I'm guessing that he was a college football player, or active in some over-muscle-y sport, and it looks like some of that overdeveloped brawn is going to (ahem) "fat". That's OK, he can be fat and still cute, but he needs to balance that bigger face and neck with a bit more hair, or risk looking like a tiny-head. The tight poodly curls ought to be straightened out a bit too (I know FNC's hair and make-up people can do this, because they somehow managed to plaster poor Brian Wilson's hair tightly to his head on the sunday show--maybe they've got a problem with Brians), and on the subject of those curls, I'm sure that sometimes I see a touch of grey at the temples, only to be back to shoe polish black the next day. A man over 40 with black hair ought to have a few wisps of grey, it's attractive, and distractingly unnatural to have none.

Also a bit tired of him in pastel shirts and soft colored ties. I'd like to see him in a stark white shirt with a bold tie, not stripes--I'm tired of stripes. So embrace your middle age Brian, the viewers will still love you and find you adorable because basically you are!

Posted by Kate :: 7:55 AM :: 0 Comments:   

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--------------------------------------- truly distasteful!!

I know I've expressed sympathy and at least tepid concern for Cindy Sheehan in the past, largely because I don't know what it feels like to lose a flesh and blood son, and even more because I know that she needs a good dose of wellbutrin--as well as a competent hair stylist. But I believe that absolutely insipid and positively gleeful grin as she was arrested yesterday knocked me to my senses. I think that these protests have become her fun-filled field trips rather than expressions of her righteous indignation and moral outrage.

Trying to do a little math and armchair pop psychology here--if she's 47 or 48, guess she was a bit too young to protest VietNam or attend Woodstock, those boomer defining events; maybe envious of an older sibling or cousin who got to go to those events. And now she's found a way to live out that wannabe behavior in a socially acceptable and (to some) an admirable way--the best of both worlds.

I was willing to be tolerant of Camp Casey, because people who take our form of government seriously are willing to hear other opinions. But her truly distasteful behavior and demeanor during her arrest have brought my claws back to their normal position (hisss), and my rising sense of repulsion will be stifled no more. Your 15 minutes are officially over now Cindy. Am I seeing things or is she really starting to look like Eleanor Roosevelt?

Posted by Kate :: 6:57 AM :: 0 Comments:   

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Sunday, September 25, 2005

a coupla random thoughts about current events and a joke

I was away from my news tv all day yesterday and I'm wondering what kind of coverage the antiwar protest in DC got. Bill O'Reilly assured Wesley Clark that Fox would be covering the event --did they? With a 'tude or neutrally? I couln't find coverage of it on the FNC web site, but did find a story about a counter-anti-war protest--guess no one wants to be called pro-war anymore than anyone wants to be called pro-abortion. The permit covered 100,000 angry protestors (not a number at which to sneeze), but I've not yet heard any consistent estimates of actual attendance. How did CNN and MSNBC treat it? Protests are a dime a dozen; maybe it got little attention. I saw nothing about it in today's Detroit Free Press (doesn't mean it wasn't there; probably means it wasn't prominent), which is anything but a pawn of Republicans. +++


Horribly ironic that the worst casualties of Hurricane Rita at this point seem to be the 24(?) deaths of seniors being bused out of town, many with oxygen tanks. Sometimes the fates have cruel senses of humor. +++


No Direction Home. The brand new documentary about Bob Dylan by none other than Martin Scorcese. Gotta admire Dylan for his iron control of his legacy. He wants to be here to see how history treats his oeuvre and thus avoid unpredictable heirs with their capriciousness and possible greed defining him for the future (I'm thinking Elvis, Bob Marley, Jerry Garcia here). Have to adore Martin S for taking an largely iconic and mostly umbral figure and giving him flesh and blood. And after seeing him interviewed on 60 Minutes last year, who'd have thought that Dylan could actually channel articulate and coherent thoughts in prose? +++


Funny that The Weather Channel has to keep postponing its new show about weather because of actual weather. +++


FNCers that should garner more face time, raises, promotions, bonuses, or at least leverage at the bargaining table when contract renewal time rolls around as a result of the 2 recent storms:

Shep Smith--for consistently passionate but levelheaded coverage, and even more for not missing a beat in his conversation with Greta Van Susteran when he was blown over by Rita's winds. I loved him for saying (after being knocked to his keister) "It's stupid to be out in this"!

Bill Hemmer--probably the biggest winner. Began his on-air work for FNC in the midst of Katrina. First got a chance to show his poise under duress in the anchor chair (while Shep went to NOLA), got to show his calm brand of compassion in interviewing returning New Orlinians (is that a real word?), then got to go do some live reporting on Rita. Excellent at wearing all hats.

Phil Keating--for his great prescience in adopting his wild and shaggy hairstyle. He didn't even need to carry hairspray, that great reporter staple, to maintain his signature look in the high, sustained winds. Oh yeah, good reporting too.

Rick Leventhal--he's not naturally a "smiler", and his serious demeanor helped bring the reality of the awfulness about which he was reporting home to the viewers.

Alicia Acuna--I think she's being recognized by the higher ups as a serious player because we seem to be seeing her used on more serious stories lately. Her knowledge and skill as a reporter were obvious, and she managed to look professional (and good) in extreme weather. +++


Did W take a drink? The tabloids seem to be saying yes. I rather doubt it, because he seems to take his hard won adulthood seriously. But it wouldn't concern me if he did, unless it breaks some sort of faith he has with his wife and family. He doesn't think that he was/is an alcoholic, and the way he simply up and quit drinking probably bears this out. But if anyone ever deserved a bit of self-medication... At least for now the MSMs seem to be studiously ignoring this one. Perhaps wanting to make sure they have a source at least as solid as the one that made Dan Rather's retirement come early.

Could one more awful event occur under this guy's watch? It's typical that the great unwashed (and the party not in power) blame their leaders for everything that goes wrong. That being a given, it's amazing W's numbers are still as high as they are. He must go to sleep and wake up feeling as if he's under a black cloud. Bad juju all around him! +++


The Joke (actually a quote from Dolly Parton): "I'm not offended by dumb blonde jokes because I know that I'm not dumb. I also know that I'm not blonde."

Posted by Kate :: 10:27 AM :: 1 Comments:   

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Thursday, September 22, 2005

now it's my turn at flogging

I'm Tucker. I'm the middle dog. Tucker Carlson was named after me. So were the vintage cars. I was neo-con when neo-con wasn't cool and I was wearing a bow tie before the other neo-cons though of it. Tallis says this is blogging and not flogging, but she also seems to think I just fell off the turban truck. Hah.

MA went out to put gas in her car before the price goes up again. She always lets the tank get almost completely empty before filling it 'cuz she hates the way it makes her hands smell all day. She's always trying to loan her car to other people so they have to tank it up for her. When we lived in Ringwood NJ a nice and handsome (MA says "hot") guy used to do this for us and MA and her friends always liked getting gas then. Tallis says I never lived in NJ, but I know she's wrong "cuz I've always been with MA. Tallis thinks she knows everything and that I'll always listen to her because I'm afraid of her. Well, everybody's afraid of Tallis, but I'm really small and I hide under the furniture when she's after me. She's too big to come after me-heh heh heh. Tallis says she could rule the world if she only had opposable thumbs and a wheel.

Oh yeah. Tallis says this blog is supposed to be about news TV. I like Kelly Wright and Wendell Goler. Wendell had on a very nice tie today. He should try a bow tie. Here's a puzzling thing: I thought that chubby black guys were supposed to do weather. When I lived in NJ (hah Tallis-did so), the weather guy was always lovable, chubby and African American. I especially liked Al Roker and Mark McEwan. MA almost ran Mark McEwan over in Manhattan once because she was talking to Gamma, but he ran just in time. That was funny. I like Kiran Chetry too--she looks cuddly and she has boobies. I like boobies. Kiran's too skinny and too pale for weather though.

MA always takes me along when she drives to visit her friends and family because I'm a very polite guest and never pee on anyone's floor until I'm invited to do so. My nickname when we travel together is "Road Trip", but Tallis calls me "Road Kill". I will be the top dog when Tallis is dead, but she says she won't care at that point. I plan to grow those thumb things then.

Garage door noises. Later. Must go watch MA neurotically scrub her hands to get the gas smell and the pump germs off of them before she will pet me or touch anything in the house.

Posted by Kate :: 3:19 PM :: 0 Comments:   

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--------------------------------------- galveston, oh galveston

Idly wondering how many downloads Itunes, bearshare, EDonkey, Rhapsody, BitTorrent, limewire, etc the old, old Glen Campbell song has enjoyed since Hurricane Rita developed. I got my copy legally, in case you're idly wondering (I love Itunes!).

In flipping back and forth and back and forth between the 3 news networks last night, I thought that in general Fox was giving the best overview of the blighted JetBlue plane's troubled landing attempts. MSNBC seemed to have the most airplane-knowledgable reporter, but by far the worst video feed. Paula Zahn did OK while contributing nothing special, but CNN's vid feed was far better than MSNBC's. Bill O'Reilly, shameless self-promoter that he is, was interviewing yet an even more shameless self-promoter, Donald Trump, and hated to exit the stage for breaking news, but once he finally yielded the floor/screen, FNC had solid reporting from Trace Gallagher and clear video.

Posted by Kate :: 9:12 AM :: 0 Comments:   

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Tuesday, September 20, 2005

"you knew damn well i was a snake...

...before you took me in"

There once was a wonderfully well written TV drama called Northern Exposure. In one episode, Shelly, one of the major characters, and pregnant at the time, can only sing, rather than speak her thoughts. I don't remember the circumstance, but in dealing with some treachery, she sings a little song (based on a folk tale)that goes more or less like this (I'm relying on a 10 year old memory here):

"Take me in gentle woman, take me in for heaven's sake-
Take me in gentle lady, even though I am a snake".

The ditty has the gentle lady carry the snake to safety across a raging river (or something), only to immediately bite her. As she dies the snake croons questioningly and in a rhyme that my brain is not dredging up "Don't forget that I'm a snake! I never suggested that I was anything else."

If any can out politik the Clinton clan, it's the Bush bunch, and I expect that the Bushes are neither astounded by nor seriously damaged by Bill's weekend verbal attack. (Perhaps, like me, they can't yet make sense out of it!) I can still think of several good reasons that the Bush bunch decided to rehab Bill and offer him a place in the sun, and why they will continue to tolerate antics like this. But dang, this stupid song still keeps going through my head. (note to self: put Northern Exp at top of Netflix queue pronto and add song to ipod!)

On the subject of Cindy Sheehan and her viper-like mentors. Heard O'Reilly trying to be fair to her in his inimitable O'Reilly-esque way last night, and blaming her current image (or lack thereof) on bad advisors. The worst advice given that poor woman recently was that she indulge in that dreadful haircut and color. The second worst advice given her seems to be that continuing to speak her mind is a good idea, or might even be interesting to her supporters and/or detractors. I continue to feel pity for this poor woman. Anti-war advocates took her at face value when she first set up camp casey, but I feared that she was fighting with less than a full battalion from the get-go. I don't mean she's certifiable, but distinctly emotionally unstable and unequipped to lead a cause beyond an initial sortie. She ought to have left her snakes back at camp casey.

Posted by Kate :: 7:01 AM :: 0 Comments:   

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Saturday, September 17, 2005

here's what i think -by tallis

hi i'm tallis and you know me from mama's explanation of why she blogs. you can see my picture there too, but i'm even prettier in person very blonde, very tall, 4 long legs. what i'm wondering is why my favorite fox people won't send me pizza even when i call up their private phones and ask very nicely and say please. i love ubu bubububu (you know, that lady who won't blink), but did she send me a pie with extra cheese? no. i have a picture of jim angle on my wall (mama throws darts at it, but i like his funny little grin and squeeky little voice), but did he send me a double order of garlic bread when i emailed him? again no.

When mama goes shopping she leaves fox on so we can tell her if she missed any breaking news. that's our job, mine and tucker's, beagan's still a big dopey baby and sleeps in his crate when mama shops, we have to watch news and make sure that nobody leaves her phone messages--she really hates that. Does she bring us pizza? no, no pizza in her shopping bags at all. groceries, game cube games, make up, maybe some of that eukabuka dog food, but never any pizza.

here's what i want to know. why isn't ubu bubububu on more she should be on all of the time and brian wilson should read news headlines, that would be for mama she thinks he's funny. i hear the garage door opening now gotta go now.

Posted by Kate :: 5:23 PM :: 0 Comments:   

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--------------------------------------- non aryan type anchors needed!

FNC has a whole stable of non-light haired, non-light eyed non white bread types of whom we should be seeing more. In fact, in spite of the hiring diversity displayed in the faces of the FNC reporters, I can't really think of a black, asian, hispanic or other who is in the top level of FNC "stardom".

Lauren Green, is one of the most beautiful women on TV; not just my opinion, she was a Miss Minnesota one year. She's filled in admirably as a foxy AM friend, though she's mostly relegated to news reader. But we're sure seeing lots of Gretchen Carlson, another former tiara winner (who actually made it all the way to Miss America--go figure!). Absolutely competent, but as generically vanilla as E.D.Hill, Patti Ann Browne and Molly Henneburg.

Kelly Wright is attractive, photogenic and affable, but he doesn't seem to be one of management's darlings. Orlando Salinas too could do more important work. I'd like too to see more of Alicia Acuna (so glad she went back to dark hair), Rebecca Gomez, Julie Banderas and Wendell Goler (but not Juan Williams -he's perfectly competent, but oh so annoying).

Uma Pemmaraju may be the exception in that it looks to me that someone recognizes her talent, but isn't yet sure what to do with her on a regular basis. Not only is she perhaps too exotically lovely, her habit of not blinking for minutes on end is downright unnerving. And Julian Philips is (I think) the only Af-Am regularly in an anchor chair, but is anyone but me up watching early Saturday and Sunday AMs?

I know that the anchor faces at FNC are reflecting back both what middle class americans want to see and how middle americans see themselves, and that these middle class peeps are the ones buying the FNC advertiser's products, and enabling the advertisers to buy more air time, ergo keeping Fox on the air and on top of the ratings game. However, I believe that at this point FNC is far enough ahead of their closest competitors that they can afford to be "fashion-forward" in a new way and to lead the pack in setting a new style (I like Bill Hemmer, but he's really just more of the same old same old). I for one think it's time to see some new skin tones and hair textures as first string anchors, and I'd like to see them on FNC.

Posted by Kate :: 4:23 PM :: 1 Comments:   

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Wednesday, September 14, 2005

joe biden can cajole, coax and wheedle all day,...

but John Roberts absolutely will not speak to any issue that may ever, possibly, somehow, someway come before the supreme court, nor will he eat broccoli.

Posted by Kate :: 5:16 PM :: 0 Comments:   

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--------------------------------------- an unkindness of ravens, a pride of lions,...

a bevy of beauties, a murder of crows, a pack of rats, a covey of quail. What do you call a big giant bunch of tv monitors that travel in a group? A [Wolf Blitzer's] folly of tv sets? an over load of monitors? an excess of moving news footage?

I've been checking up on CNN's Situation Room when not in the mood for business news, and haven't yet figured out why eleventy-thirteen (Tallis' fave number) monitors are better than one. Okay, okay, the split screen is a tried and true method of presentation. But the equivalent of 4 split screens is simply headache making. And how does the controller of all of those screens decide what goes where and when? I picture something like a marionetteer controlling all of those screens with some complicated mechanism (but pay no mind to that man or woman behind the curtain). If the story being discussed is very important does the story get two screens? Three? If Christ returned to earth at 4p eastern time on a weekday, how many screens would he get? And for exactly what shortcoming might Wolf be atoning by this extravagance? Perhaps Mrs Wolf has never reassured him that it's not the number of whatevers, but the quality, or the size of the whatever, but the technique involved.

Posted by Kate :: 4:14 PM :: 0 Comments:   

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--------------------------------------- orrin hatch throws down the gauntlet

Paraphrasing here: "Judge Roberts, I guess if Dems won't vote for you [for supreme chief], they simply won't vote for any republican".

I love these proceedings. Teddy is back today with his hair, Arlen still without much of his, Lindsey still with most of his (I'm actually getting interested in senatorial hair! Is this one of those serious warning symptoms?)

Posted by Kate :: 10:59 AM :: 0 Comments:   

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Tuesday, September 13, 2005

teddy "deeply troubled"? who'd a thunk it?

As an aside, my die hard conservative, Churchill and Reagan worshipping republican, New Deal hating, pull yourself up by your own bootstraps grandfather couldn't hear Teddy K's name without referencing a Harvard cheating scandal (I don't know anything about this, but it was practically a tenet of grandfather's faith) and "that poor girl on that bridge" (sorta before my time too). That being my heritage, I should despise Teddy rather than pity him, but he seems to me have become an impotent (no, not referencing his reputed taste for partying here) figure of fun, but one who really does have a strong commitment to public service--perhaps so strong that he didn't/doesn't/won't know when to retire.

He actually seems to have come to life just in time for his turn at Roberts today, and appears to have some command of his points, though still comes off as heavily underarmed in this battle of wits--and if he claims to be "deeply troubled" once more, I'm heading straight for the Ben and Jerry's or the Jim Beam, or something else equally inappropriate for this time of day. My biggest concern about Roberts is that he'll either 1) laugh at some senatorial nonsense or 2) come off as too smart for his own good, or "too smart by half", as my grandmother used to say.

But oh man, Teddy does still have a top notch head of hair, whereas Roberts seems to be cultivating that ever popular lutheran pastor coif, a distinctly republican style, and usually a precursor to a full-blown combover. Working on it, but have yet to come up with a cohesive theory about why Dems have better hair than GOPers. More free time?

Posted by Kate :: 11:19 AM :: 0 Comments:   

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Monday, September 12, 2005

"by god, I love the law!" (or fun with the supreme nominee)

I saw this as graffiti on a bathroom wall in the law school of the university I attended, but never really expected to hear it said aloud. My mouth nearly fell open after hearing Lindsey Graham conclude his Andy Griffith (as sheriff of Mayberry) speech with something very similar. Don't get me wrong, I think I think the aw-shucks style of the honorable senator from South Carolina is as cute as a bug's ear, though I have no idea how genuine it is or isn't. It's almost too seamless to be an act, but call me a cynic, it's hard to believe that anyone could stay that idealistic after a few seasons in our capital.

Does Teddy ever say anything new or surprising? He doesn't look awfully healthy to me.

I heard loads of pundits commenting on the attire of Jon Roberts' children when his nomination for the supreme court was formally announced, one saying that they didn't seem to be dressed like "average" kids. No doubt that the Roberts kids get as grubby as my nephews when they play, but God bless parents who still understand that there are non-everyday occasions when we don non-everyday clothes, and teach that no longer everyday value to their offspring. On top of which they aren't average kids--wake up and smell the meritocracy! Their father has been auditioning for a position on the supreme court for his whole career--let's hope they aren't your plain vanilla snot-nosed rug rats. Hurrah for all little boys uncomfortable in short-pants suits and all little girls itchy in starchy dresses!

Not his biggest fan, but hope that all that new fuzz on Sen Arlen Specter's head means he's on his way to good health.

Fashion note to Sen Graham. Forget the combover, bald is sexy, as are high foreheads. But get someone to swish a dab of powder on that expanse for you on hot days, or when you're feeling oily. There are also oil blotting papers that you could discreetly tuck into your wallet and use to mop up before being interviewed outdoors, especially in warm, humid weather. Available from wives and girlfriends everywhere.

Posted by Kate :: 2:24 PM :: 0 Comments:   

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Friday, September 09, 2005

that wily, ruthless jim angle

I don't like Jim Angle. I don't like anything about Jim. I can't stand seeing him in Brit Hume's chair every Friday. I've been sitting in a bar with a friend all evening watching FNC without the sound, and have discovered that I don't like silent Jim any better than audible Jim.

I hate his hair. His combover, different every day (remember the old Dick Van Dyke episode where Allan Brady revealed that he had a whole set of toupes to reflect different stages of a haircut growing out?)and his "Just for Men" fluctuating color make me long for either the current fashion of shaved baldness or a enterprising FNC hair/makeup person to overtake him.

Don't like his clothes. He should stick to the conservative suit, but wear a brighter shirt or tie. He looks ready for burial sartorially, and through no fault of his own, tonight his makeup made him look positively embalmed. The way he primly folds his hands neatly in front of him looks preparatory for interment too.

His voice makes my teeth hurt. It sounds plaintive, whiny, querulous, and absolutely unauthoritative. His diction makes me miss the days when to be taken seriously as an anchor, one had to sound like every other anchor, and deliver the news in that unspecific and unspecifiable midwest sound; our equivalent of BBC English.

I really don't like that he seems to have replaced that wonderfully witty and golden-voiced Brian Wilson as Brit Hume's regular replacement, and that he, at least currently, seems to have a career edge over Brian, when it is clear that Brian is the more talented anchor of the two.

To be fair, I believe I've heard that the wily, ruthless, scheming, corporate climbing Jim has broken more than his fair share of big stories, and that people who watch the news looking for more than fashion fodder about which to blog consider him to be a top notch newsman. But I still don't like that sly guy.

Posted by Kate :: 10:36 PM :: 2 Comments:   

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Monday, September 05, 2005

just a wee bit too big for that anchor chair!

Brian Wilson (not the beach boy, the news guy on Fox). I adore Brian Wilson. I think he's serious and funny and a first rate reporter and the best anchor Fox has. I think he's Ruby Keeler waiting to go on and become the star when the lead dancer storms off in the midst of a hissy fit. I think he's Miles O'Brien willing to solo on the big story and win the coveted morning spot when Aaron Brown can't leave the golf course. I think he's Rhett Butler for whom all the most beautiful women lust to Shep's slightly fey Ashley Wilkes. If Rupert Murdoch wanted to start an All-Brian-All-the-time channel, I would give up sleeping. If all of the other fox anchors mysteriously were locked into the basement at Fox (hint to Brian), and Brian had to do a whole day's worth of programming live all by himself, I wouldn't leave my sofa for the duration unless he needed my help.

So you can imagine how happy I was to see him in the NYC studio chatting with some of the other morning people--a special lagniappe to me for living through Fox & Friends on Sunday morning. Just one small hitch: someone get that man a bigger chair- normal furniture just doesn't seem to suit him.

Posted by Kate :: 1:53 PM :: 0 Comments:   

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Friday, September 02, 2005

fox'd/pox'd

Fox'd

Phil Keating: Hurricane Katrina and her aftermath may be for his career what the gulf war was for Wolf Blitzer's. His reporting has been cool and unemotional, and while I'm sure he and his crew are functioning on little sleep, his characteristically rumpled look serves him well.

Jeff Goldblatt: sounds like he's been in the danger zone more than once, but keeps a calm style of reporting coming back.

Bill Hemmer: Remember when CNN's Aaron Brown couldn't leave his golf game to cover the shuttle disaster, and anchoring duties fell to Miles O'Brien, who was much better qualified for that story anyway? Bill Hemmer's off to a big start at FNC, and is proving that he can handle anchoring a big, rapidly changing story under pressure, while Shep plays man-on-the-scene.

Pox'd

Shep Smith: doing a fine job reporting; a more personally involved style than I like, but he's from somewhere in that region, so possibly understandable. But what he does best is pulling things together as an anchor, so I think his skills are wasted slogging around in the sewage. And his compassion for the displaced people is palpable, but I'm tired of him suggesting that more should be being done for them sooner. This disaster may or may not have been foreseeable and preventable, but that is a discussion for another day, albeit one that needs to be had. I think all layers of government and relief programs are doing the best and the most that they can--I'm pretty sure there isn't a magic wand that the head of the Red Cross, nor the mayor of New Orleans, nor the governor of LA, nor the Pres of the US can wave to make the water go down faster, or restore power sooner, or replug phone lines more quickly.

The Black Caucus rep: who read a long statement (much of it unintelligible to me), then quoted a long passage from the Gospel of Matthew ch 25, seemingly directed at Pres Bush. Unfortunately, Jesus was preaching this message to "the choir", not to government officials. Let's not forget that old, reliable separation of church and state--the Black Caucus would have been better off directing this plea to the various church bodies.

Fox'd and Pox'd

Molly Henneburg: cute as a bug's ear as always, doing just fine in a "chick" assignment--covering life in a shelter where the inhabitants actually seem to have food, water and activities for the kids. But on inaugeration day, this intrepid reporter had a lamp of some sort mangle her adorable face, but kept on reportingwithout missing a beat, and cheerfully as I remember. She could have handled something tougher for Katrina coverage.

Posted by Kate :: 11:05 AM :: 1 Comments:   

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Thursday, September 01, 2005

if W had only known!

This blog is not intended to have a political slant. Not that I'm not interested in politics, there are just other bloggers out there doing that angle better than I can. But heard Fox and Friends grousing about this article the other day and thought to myself "remember, you're watching FNC, Kennedy can't really have blamed Katrina on W and Hayley Barbour--that's too silly", but kept thinking about it, and sought out the document, and well, here's Robert Jr's amazing conclusion to his musings about global warming and its consequences:

"Well, the science is clear. This month, a study published in the journal Nature by a renowned MIT climatologist linked the increasing prevalence of destructive hurricanes to human-induced global warming....Now we are all learning what it’s like to reap the whirlwind of fossil fuel dependence which Barbour and his cronies have encouraged."

I was recycling before anyone else I knew, I've always been thrifty with energy resources, and I've hugged more than my share of trees. I've also attempted to be a critical thinker and reader, and my mental alarm bells tend to go off at phrases like, "well, the science is clear" (clear to whom?) and "a renowned (possibly renowned, but unfortunately unnamed) climatologist linked..." and the evocation of that old, biblical, apocalyptic chestnut "reap the whirlwind" (Hosea, I think) . And having just read Michael Creighton's "State of Fear", I was already sensitive to the fact that not everyone has reached the same conclusions and predictions about global warming. But darn, if W had just signed off on that danged ol' Kyoto global warming agreement, maybe Katrina would have headed for Venezuela instead of New Orleans.

Read Robt K Jr's entire article at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-f-kennedy-jr/afor-they-that-sow-the-_b_6396.html

Posted by Kate :: 2:11 PM :: 0 Comments:   

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