A Rant on CNN and the Internet

The Internet's a pretty sweet deal. It has created a two-way medium, where people can get the information that they want and respond to it. It's giving traditional one-way media, such as television and newspapers, a run for their money and an urgent need to evolve if they're going to survive.

For years, people have been talking about how the future of television lies in the Internet, but they haven't quite figured out how to integrate the two in order to cash in, other than sending people to their websites for further information, contests or polls, which results in more advertising revenue. But lately, you can see many stations testing out new ideas in an attempt to integrate the net into television viewing.

When I first came across Jack Cafferty's segment on CNN's The Situation Room, I would change the channel, because his segment of reading viewers' e-mails seemed like a thinly-vailed attempt to draw me to their website. I wanted to spend my lunch hour getting caught up on worldly events (or at least some juicy political banter), and didn't have time to waste on listening to what some jerk in Alabama thinks about the question of the day.

I don't know if Jack changed his style or if I decided to give him another chance, but his segment eventually became my favorite part of the show, not for its viewer emails, but for his "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to stand for it" rants, which I often found myself agreeing with. If you're unfamiliar with his work, check out his thoughts on Sarah Palin:

Suddenly, I didn't mind spending some of my time hearing from viewers. He'd basically give his point of view, then allow the viewers to give theirs, and unlike some similar segments on other shows, he'd read their responses without disputing their ideas. It's become an interesting, although fairly basic, way of integrating the Internet with television.

Lately, CNN has been stepping it up a notch, giving the final hour of their CNN Newsroom show to this dude named Rick Sanchez. At first, I didn't particularly care for Rick. Much like Wolf Blitzer, he'd spend much of the show patting the CNN staff on the back and kissing the asses of the viewers.

The entire basis for his show was his interaction with the "Twitter Board", where he was constantly recieving text messages from viewers through Twitter, MySpace and Facebook. While it seemed like a clever way to make television news seem more like a conversation than a lecture, I lost interest pretty quickly, much like I did with Cafferty. For every ten minutes of news, three would be spent telling me what SexyAngel23 thinks about Sarah Palin's wardrobe. More often than not, I'd find myself flipping channels to Fox News' Live Desk, which in all fairness is just as divisive and gimickey, so the hour would be spent flipping between the two.

Yesterday, Rick surprised me. I caught part of his interview with one of the McCain PR folks, and I was captivated with what I was seeing...

As we come to the end of a nearly 2-year presidential election, we've all become sick and tired of watching political lackeys (on all sides of the aisle) make ridiculous claims or exaggerations that blatantly blur the facts, and news anchors and reporters usually let them get away with it, or leaving it up to another fact-blurring lackey to dispute their claims. Here, we see an occurrence that should be a regular thing in the media: lying public figures being called on their lies. Isn't that the job of the media? TV news isn't supposed to be a soapbox that anyone can blather their nonsense from, but a source of information that has been filtered through professional journalists. It shouldn't seem so shocking when a journalist asks an obvious question that people at home are shouting at their TVs, but it is. I was shocked that Sanchez pulled a "gotcha" on this kid by simply asking him to explain his point. And it was awesome.

Maybe that's the effect of Cafferty and Sanchez's interactions with viewers through the Internet... they feel that they are being held accountable by those who are watching rather than worrying about offending the person that they're interviewing or burning bridges with the campaigns. Is the Internet the savior of the news media? That's yet to be seen, but one thing's for sure... It's great for stuff like this.

Buying Tires (& Gay Marriage)

Buying new tires sucks. It's expensive, time consuming and fairly unsatisfying. Today I had to buy new tires, and I wasn't pleased.

Now, these damn things are expensive, and they require a good bounty of additional installation, handling and alignment charges. Given this economy and the current proximity to the holidays, it looks like this year's Christmas haul will be meager for the kids ("This year, Santa's gonna keep you from dying a tragic death caused by over-worn tires on the freeway! I don't care if Billy got a bike, his parents don't care enough to keep him safe with new tires! You know what? You were adopted, go to bed!") (Fortunately I don't have any kids, so that scenario will be avoided... at least for this year).

After some searching, I found a "sale" (ha!) at the downtown Big-O. To get my mind off the pummeling that my pocketbook was taking, I spent the two hours (!) strolling through Sacramento's lovely downtown.

It was actually quite plesant. Lots of monuments...

...lots of palm trees...

...and lots of Yes on Prop 8 rallies at the Capitol.

For those who aren't blessed with living in the Sunshine State, Proposition 8 is an attempt to de-legalize gay marriage, which was legalized some months ago. Since its legalization, many have been shocked to find that traditional marriage still exists, churches have not been burned to the ground, and California has not been engulfed by the ocean. However, many aren't willing to take any chances on those apocalyptic demises, and are making their voices heard at the House of Schwarzenegger.

So, for a fella who's got two hours to kill, I figured this could provide a fine venue for some entertaining fodder.

I'm always amazed at what really gets people riled up. Education? Health care? Genocide? Just a hand full of radicals with nothing better to do. Two people of the same sex falling in love? Better call for backup.

As I wandered through the crowd, sipping my coffee and turning down offers for yard signs, I stumbled across one gentleman who wasn't too pleased with their noble efforts. His disdain was met with a woman who felt that homosexuality was "extinctionism", which she detested in all of its forms, whether it be in animals or in people.

As their discourse continued, they inched closer and closer to one another. It was only a matter of time before somebody's accusatory finger was bit.

Here's a sample of their "exchange of ideas", as was seen from the sidelines:

As you can see, the local media moved in on this heated encounter, which was eventually broken up by the state police. A resolution was never reached, and minds were not changed on the matter.

It was later discovered that my impartial witnessing of the matter was captured by several local news outlets.

As I leisurely strolled away from the day's events, I couldn't help but notice that this rally seemed to be something of a family activity, as many of the ralliers decided to bring their kids along.

Again, for those of you who aren't living the Cali lifestyle, one of the main arguments for Proposition 8 is that schools will be forced to teach about gay marriage to children in schools (even if that isn't the case). But a wholesome day of bringing the kids to a rally regarding gay marriage will certainly keep them from learning about it.

As a non-partisan onlooker, I provided a "Huh, that's interesting" to the day's events, and rounded the corner back to Big-O. I was then presented with a bill, to which I declared, "Huh, that's interesting", and proceeded to gouge my eyes out.

I'm glad I stepped out the door this morning, because this inadvertent adventure led me to an important lesson... buying new tires is costly and time consuming.

$27 for tire disposal? Hell, if I had known that, I would have installed four tire swings in front of my apartment! Or I would have built some sort of freshman photog obstacle course! Well, actually I would have dumped them in a local park, but it would have saved me $27!

The Great Pumpkin, Part Deux

As many of you may remember, around this time last year, a local TV station was visited by a bit of Halloween magic with the sudden appearance of the Great Pumpkin, which took the form of washed-up operations manager Kurt "El Guapo" Richter. It was a whimsical time of holiday glee.

Tonight, the station was once again visited by the legendary magic of the season, as the Great Pumpkin returned.

This year, following Guapo's relatively unnoticed departure, the Great Pumpkin seems to have taken the form of junior photog and local deviant Joseph "Dance King" Huerta.

It's a Halloween miracle! It is still unclear as to whether Pumpkin Huerta will meet a similar fate as Pumpkin Richter, but one thing's for sure... The holiday whimsey and glee have returned to this local television station!

Stay tuned to see how Regular Huerta deals with his pumpkin doppelganger, or if Pumpkin Huerta takes over his position and leaves him without a job.

Crawlin' for a Cure

It always feels good to give back to the society that we all take from so abundantly. This is especially true when giving back yields an abundance of booze and gourmet food. Enter: The Edible Crawl for a Cure, a fundraiser to help fight cystic fibrosis (I didn't know what it was either). That's right, somebody came up with the brilliant idea of getting you drunk and letting you wander around town while fighting for a good cause.

Here's how it works: You pay a modest entry fee and form a team of 10-30 well-intentioned folks, you get a card with 20 fine restaurants, bars and eateries around the midtown area, and from noon to 5 PM, you try to make it to every location, where you're served a drink and some food, often times something pretty fancy lookin'.

The only downside was that they forced me to get up at noon on a Saturday! But hey, I'll get up early for a good cause.

There was a wide variety of places on the list, ranging from fine dining to that yogurt place on the corner. Ya walk in, flash your card, and they serve you up some eats and drinks. A fine time, to be sure, but there was one complication... what they gave you wasn't always compatible with what you just got. The drinks offer a fine example of this... The first place fills you up with a mohito. You then move onto a pub that tops you off with a lager, followed by a glass of sangria at an Italian restaurant, a cup o' joe at the little coffee house, and a shot of tequila offered up by the Mexican restaurant across the street, and that's only the first 25% of your "crawl".

Throw in some tacos, hummus, frozen yogurt (fro-yo) a side of bruschetta and some mac-n-cheese, and that's when the adventure really begins. And don't forget, you're huffin' it from place to place in a desparate effort to squeeze in all twenty stops! Who would have thought curing cystic fibrosis would take so much work!

Along the route, we crossed paths with former NBA star and wannabe-mayor Kevin Johnson, who shook my hand and insisted that Sacramento needed "change", a term that seems to be quite popular these days.

Hey, good luck to ya.

So as time ticked by increasingly faster after each stop, we had to kick it into high gear if we were ever going to finish this adventure. Quick drink, quick eat, and we were on to the next stop. People began disappearing from our group, perhaps passing out in an alley or calling a cab to head home, but there was no time to find out...

Rounding the block and dashing to a small coffee house hidden in an alley, we finished just minutes after the 5 PM deadline. Fortunately (well, not for my stomach), they still were willing to fill us up on coffee as we checked off the last destination on our map of culinary debauchery.

So what was the grand prize for completing all stops? A 6 PM hangover and finding yourself stranded in midtown when all you want to do is take a nap. But hey, it was for a good cause.

The Seinfeld Bus!!

There seems to be something going around. Everyone and their mother has been getting sick lately, although it may be strictly confined to the television news business. That being said, today was no exception... Not one, but two assignment editors took a leave of illness, leaving the coach scrambling to put someone in before the penalty clock ran out. Rather than select somebody qualified, intelligent or half-awake, they settled for this guy...

Oh yeah, everything's under "control".

So the day was spent as any other is on the assignment desk: snacking on whatever food/candy is left in the "free for all" area, entertaining myself with the misery of others via police scanners, and shouting out a snappy one-liner to the newsroom whenever the chance arose. Indeed, I had picked up the trade with ease.

Just one problem... time ticks by slowly when you're confined to the same chair for the duration of the shift. After a few hours, people get sick of your one-liners, the freebie food dries up, and photogs get surly about chasing scanner traffic. Yes, things were slowing down, and there was still a hand full of hours to go before I could punch out.

Then, I noticed something was partaking. I glanced from my 10-inch portal into a "Situation Room" to find that there was a minor hubbub spreading across the stress-laden crew of the newsroom. People started getting up and moving around... something was going on! Was there breaking news? Did the show's server crash again? I'm the assignment editor, I should know!

I grabbed a small newsie as he scuttled by and shook him by his lapels, screaming "You there, what's all the ruckus!" to which he replied, in a hilarious English accent, "Why sir, the Seinfeld Bus is here, it is!"

I threw him aside, stood up, and dashed for the back door, declaring "I'm on my lunch break". Bursting through, I shoved aside a lowly teleprompter operator to behold this glorious sight:

Indeed, the legends my grandfather had told me were true... a bus full of Seinfeld artifacts was touring the country under cover of night. Now, the massive museum-on-wheels was crammed into the back parking lot of our station! Oh, I was thrilled.

It was all here... George's Creepy Mom Doll!

The Bro (Manzier)!

Even the ever-popular Puffy Shirt (a photog favorite)!


I never imagined a bus could hold so much greatness (aside from the Straight Talk Express). Fusilli Jerry, The Pez Dispenser, The Lether Jacket With The Pink Striped Liner... it was all here, confined to one convenient bus!

So let this be a lesson to anyone that tells you dreams can't come true. If they don't believe in miracles, feel free to send them my way, for I shall tell them a tale...

The remainder of the evening was slow and uneventful.

GNR: Oh, Really?

Kids these days may not remember, but back when I was a young man, we had real rock n' roll bands, not just a bunch of punk skater kids like today. Ya ever hear of a group called Guns N' Roses? Well guess what... They're Back! Well, sorta.

GNR was one of those bands that rarely comes along and is the right band for its time and place. I remember some friends of mine lip-syncing "Paradise City" in the third grade talent show. In the fifth grade, my pal Ted from up the street got a cassette of "Use Your Illusion II," and I remember staring at the cover trying to understand what exactly my illusion was, and how I was supposed to utilize it. It was a strange and confusing time for myself and many other prepubescent lads as we were introduced to what would become a lifelong passion: rock n' roll. And what better band to get things rolling with than the mighty GNR.

Unfortunately, before I could really grow to love or understand this music, the group disbanded, leaving me to forever wonder what a Guns N' Roses concert would be like.

But wait! Only a few years later, Axl Rose, famed frontman and douchebag, announced that he was getting the band back together! Well, sorta... Since he legally owned the rights to the band's name, he was keeping the title and restocking the rest of the band's positions. Fortunately, nobody ever listened to GNR for anything but Axl's lyrical talents, so the whole plan was expected to go swimingly.

That's when "Chinese Democracy" was announced. That was over ten years ago. You remember that movie End of Days? The one where Schwarzenegger fights the devil? Not a great movie, but it featured the first single off of Chinese Democracy, titled "Oh My God". I remember downloading it off of this fancy new program called Napster back in 1999. I gotta tell ya... the song kinda sucked. That was almost ten years ago, and despite several "release dates" and a handfull of tours (which all ended early because Axl missed a show or got sick or some other BS that he's known for), it looks like the album might finally see the light of day.

Billboard just published an article claiming that the album will be released next month. After 10+ years of development, there might actually be a new Guns N' Roses album hitting the shelves (although most members are notably absent).

There's been so much hype around this album and so many letdowns over the past decade that this album can't possibly live up to any expectations. Axl was only one cog in the finely greased machine that was GNR. This is basically his solo project, despite the fact that it claims the band's title. Come November 23, the only question that really lingers is... does anybody give a damn about Axl anymore? (Here's a hint: No.)

But I'll probably still buy it... assuming that it actually comes out this time.

Reporter Eats Frog Legs

Hey you... You ever want to see a reporter eat frogs legs, live on the air? C'mere, I'll show ya.

In case you're wondering, she said they didn't taste all that great. There's a surprise.

Don't say I never gave ya anything.