Eventful Events
Filed Under Cloud gazing | Leave a Comment
On the weekends, my blogging window-of-performance-opportunity is kind of whacked. During the ‘work week’ its early and quick, but Saturday and Sunday presents a longer, more-lazy approach to venting my writing obsession (blogs are a most delightful means to maintain writing, the whole Internet, really — I’ve been writing near-serious in all different kinds of ways since about the age of 12 or so [50 years or so] and this blog is much-like when I wrote as a kid. Junk out a short story or poem, then eventually, or maybe quickly, assign it to a big cardboard box containing all shapes of literary artifacts in various stages of completion. This blog is similar as so few eyes read it, the entire contents could most-easily be transferred to that weighty box in my teen-age bedroom) and what could be written in an hours, takes sometimes all day Saturday.
(Illustration found here).
In that sphere of influence, I’m going to see what the big news is today, maybe get pissed off and depressed all at once — it’s become fairly apparent the earth is moving toward some heavy-duty cataclysmic event/events in the extreme-near future, and of course, the US has the torturous midterm elections this Tuesday, which could reveal the upcoming violent underbelly of American war, politics and life.
And to demonstrate the upside down life/reality: The US has as its “most trusted” journalist, Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show, a mock TV news program, who with his nefarious alter-ego, the mocking Stephen Colbert, holding the massive Rally to Restore Sanity And/Or Fear today in DC — Watch the whole thing here — and what’s near-implausible, the event might effect the neurotic US election in three days.
Talking Points Memo, which is usually dead on the weekends, has been carrying some good descriptions of the event from all sources, from iPhones to Tweeter.
And as one reader shared: They were really unprepared for the size of the crowd. No secondary speakers or jumbotrons set up...It’s insane down here.
Knew it!
(Illustration found here).
When I first heard of Stewart’s rally, I felt certain the thing would be enormous and would make last summer’s Palin/Beck grotesque day on the Mall tiny, weeny in comparison — hopefully, the vast number of Americans have sense and will get-in/be-in on the joke.
Many of TPM‘s readers seemingly reflect similar views as this one, a telling detail: My 5 yo and I just bailed because of crazy metro issues, but I can tell you that we were on a train near packed with boomers and older. And they were more excited than anyone else–giddy, even. Definitely an all ages event.
A fun event to keep up with all day, and not surprising, an uplift kind of thing, not so sordid and dispiriting as other shit nowadays.
More later, as I gotta run some weekend-type errands.
News Views
Filed Under Media, Scratching Sounds | Leave a Comment
Although informative and hilarious, the TV news programs on Comedy Central present a stark, and sad reminder of just how bad journalism in general (or honest-to-goodness news gathering) has become in the last few years.
When the best news programs on TV are phony mock-ups — WTF!
(Illustration found here).
Of course, the massive, humongous problem is how divided the US, and the overwhelming assholeness of Fox News, the worst example of any kind of news reporting in the history of the world.
And just how divided are we?
Old shits vs all the young dudes.
Viewer age makes all the difference, and the Inter-Webs.
Via Raw Story:
The newest Pew Research Center’s survey of where and how people get their news has been released, and while Fox News is still polling the oldest viewership, Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart are pulling the youngest. As Stewart educates his young viewers in the ways of FNC on a nightly basis, it is clear that he is the biggest long term media threat to Fox News.
“The net impact of digital platforms supplementing traditional sources is that Americans are spending more time with the news than was the case a decade ago.
As was the case in 2000, people now say they spend 57 minutes on average getting the news from TV, radio or newspapers on a given day.
But today, they also spend an additional 13 minutes getting news online, increasing the total time spent with the news to 70 minutes. This is one of the highest totals on this measure since the mid-1990s and it does not take into account time spent getting news on cell phones or other digital devices.”
And this despite Newsweek‘s dumb-ass prediction 15 years ago.
Pew Research’s news poll also found:
Speaking of television, Fox News has been able to hold its audience share because Republicans have been fleeing to the network.
In 2002, Republicans were just as likely to watch CNN as they were to watch Fox News, but eight years later, 40% of all Republicans regularly watch FNC. Twelve percent of Republicans watch CNN and 6% watch MSNBC.
Fox News does not lead the cable news ratings because there are more Republicans in the United States. They lead because they have been successful in consolidating the Republican audience.
It is no surprise than that Fox News, just like the GOP caters to an older audience.
Sixty three percent of Bill O’Reilly’s viewers are over 50 years old, and 65% of Hannity’s viewers are over 50. Only 44% of the nation as a whole are over 50 years old, so the over 50 demographic is overrepresented on Fox News.
If the younger viewers aren’t watching Fox News, then what are they watching?
The answer to this question can be found on Comedy Central Monday through Thursday from 11 pm-12 am. Colbert and Stewart’s audiences are young.
In fact, they were the youngest in the survey.
Eighty percent of Colbert’s audience is between 18-49, and 74% of Stewart’s audience falls into the 18-49 demo.
Although their audiences are double the amount of liberals in the overall population, Colbert and Stewart also appeal to Libertarians, as they make up 29% and 27% respectively of their audiences.
Interestingly 53% of Colbert’s audience and 43% of Stewart’s said that they watch these programs for entertainment.
They may come for the entertainment, but they also get a healthy dose of the news.
Dude, where’s my news?
‘Soup’ Gone
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A life-long favorite is no more: Soupy Sales dead at 83.
Even with all his funny shenanigans, Soupy Sales appeared as a really nice guy.
His show was one of my favorites as a kid and I loved all the characters he created, including the never-seen ‘naked girl,’ and he seemed to have great fun doing all those crazy things.
See a video of one of his sketches here.
Despite all the clowning around, Soupy worked hard to get the right knack and the right posture as he received his grandstand ploy — a pie in the kisser.
Laugh and laugh again, but now sad.
(Illustration found here).
From the LA Times:
As the star of “The Soupy Sales Show,” he performed live on television for 13 years in Detroit, Los Angeles and New York before the program went into syndication in the United States and abroad.
Ostensibly for children, the show had broad appeal among adults who found Sales’ puns, gags and pratfalls deliciously corny and camp.
His cast consisted of goofy puppets with names like White Fang, Black Tooth and Pookie, and a host of off-camera characters, including the infamous naked girl.
The high point of every show came when a sidekick launched a pie into Sales’ face.
Sales once estimated that he was hit by more than 25,000 pies in his lifetime.
The gag became more than hilarious; it evolved into a hip badge of honor.
Frank Sinatra was first in a long line of celebrities who clamored for the privilege to be cream-faced, including Tony Curtis, Mickey Rooney, Sammy Davis Jr., Dick Martin and Burt Lancaster.
Soupy was the man.