The Supremes

A story that will be developing this week will be the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearings on Judge John G. Roberts, Jr.

Originally Judge Roberts was nominated by the President to be an associate Justice of the Supreme Court. But with the recent passing of Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, the President chose to resubmit Judge Roberts' nomination for Chief Justice.

Ironically, had the Chief Justice lived another week, it may have been too late for the President to submit Roberts for Chief Justice. Had the Chief Justice lived longer, it would have been an historical moment for the former clerk of Chief Justice Rehnquist to be on the bench at the same time with his former mentor. (assuming Judge Roberts gets confirmed, that is)

Maybe that is why the Chief Justice was trying to hold out, when it was obvious to all that he wasn't physically up to his duties? Nobody can deny the legacy of the Chief Justice over the many years he lead the Supreme Court. But maybe a bit of common sense would have spared us all the trouble that will surely come during the confirmation process.

Already outside forces are trying to control the way this process will go. Misleading ads have been put on television in order to sway public opinion. This is a deceitful action that should be made illegal by our elected officials. There is a law regarding truth in advertising of products, there should be a law regarding the truth in political ads.

It's already a great disservice to the process that lobbyists & political action committees have a strong grip over our elected officials. Lately the NAACP has come out strongly against Judge Roberts. They feel he is against their interests. I say it's not their right to be part of this process in this manner. They shouldn't have more say in this matter than I do. It goes against the "One person, one vote" ideal that we hold so dear. The NAACP doesn't speak for all America, let alone a vast majority. We cherish the idea that the minority has to be protected, but the majority does rule. For the NAACP to assert that their opinion should be more important than ours goes against everything that we hold dear. Something should be done to prevent organizations like this from trying to hold the process hostage.

Another problem with the system is members of the Senate who aren't on the Judiciary committee trying to get involved before the nominee gets sent to the full Senate with a recommendation. This is another way for the public to be mislead by a partisan politico who wants to grab some power that doesn't belong to them. Even members of the committee can try a power grab by voicing "concerns" prematurely. A prime offender of this is the senior Senator from Massachusetts, Edward "Ted" Kennedy. He isn't the Chairman of this committee, but he acts like his opinion is the only one that counts. Why this man is even in the Senate is a mystery to me. This is why Senator Kennedy shouldn't have any credibility, let alone be a Senator:

On the evening of July 19, 1969, Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts drove his Oldsmobile off a wooden bridge on Chappaquiddick Island, drowning his passenger, a young campaign worker named Mary Jo Kopechne. The senator left the scene of the accident, did not report it to the police for many hours, and according to some accounts considered concocting an alibi for himself in the interim.
At the time, Kennedy managed to escape severe legal and political consequences for his actions thanks to his family's connections (which helped to contain the inquest and grand jury) and to a nationally televised "Checkers"-like speech broadcast a week after the accident. But virtually no journalist who has closely examined the evidence fully believes Kennedy's story, and almost 30 years later, the tragedy still trails the senator, with aggressive press investigations revived in five-year anniversary intervals.

The voters of Massachusetts must not care that they have a criminal in such a high public office thanks to them. The memory of JFK should not allow letting this criminal to be such a loud voice in our Legislative Branch of the government.

Back on target now. The Senate should have the nominee in committee first. Let the nominee speak BEFORE any of these partisan blowhards get to say one word to the public. Also, don't put words in Judge Roberts' mouth.

Interest groups need to stay out of this, it's not their place. Too many scare tactic rumors are being told. Let's take one as an example.

Abortion is about to be made illegal. Even if Roe vs Wade gets overturned, there are laws on the books in the individual states that would keep "a woman's right to choose" safe. But if you listen to these interest groups, we are only weeks away from women having to get "back alley abortions". That's something that an uninformed public will remember, even if it's totally false. These groups and politicos count on the public's gullibility to keep their agendas moving.

Judge Roberts filed briefs for the government that are against those supporters of pro-choice. It was his JOB, not his beliefs that had him do this. He didn't CHOOSE this position, it was decided for him by the administration he served. His wife is a supporter of pro-life groups, but that is his wife, hot the Judge. He has gone on record as saying that his beliefs won't prevent him from enforcing the law as it is. This basically says he isn't going to be a judicial activist. He won't let his emotions be his guide, but the law.

Another myth is that Judge Roberts is all for the pre Civil Rights era. You'd think he wanted slavery brought back by listening to groups like the NAACP. Again, these groups are trying to put Judge Roberts' beliefs on trial rather than him enforcing the law. It's a way to make the public think Judge Roberts is against minority rights - when nothing about the man says that.

Judge Roberts has a distinguished record. He has an education that makes lawyers envious. He is eminently qualified for this position. If he wasn't, then the Senate wouldn't have UNANIMOUSLY confirmed his to a Judgeship, just TWO YEARS ago. But the politicos want us to believe that it's a different situation now, because it's the Supreme Court. That's a load of crap, and they know it. They just hope that by saying it enough, maybe it'll get believed.

Judge Roberts deserves to be confirmed as Chief Justice. Anyone who tries to tarnish his reputation needs to be slapped. If he is so wrong for the job, then why didn't you say so two years ago? Where was all the outrage then? Nobody voted against him then, so what changed?

What changed is that Democrats are afraid that they are slowly, but surely, becoming irrelevant.

This isn't the battle to wage. The one to worry about is the next nominee that the President will nominate. Justice O'Connor will stay on until she is replaced, or that was the deal when Judge Roberts was nominated to replace her.

Will she still stay on now that Judge Roberts is being nominated to replace the deceased Chief Justice? Let's hope so, the court doesn't need a vacancy at this time.

I am sorry to say this, but I don't think the President should nominate a woman, or even an ethnic minority, to replace Justice O'Connor. I think he should nominate Senator John Cornyn of Texas. He is a lawyer, and is well respected by both sides of the isle in Congress. He would make a fine Justice, and he isn't TOO conservative that the left can complain. (but they will, it's what they DO)

I think it's a mistake to nominate the Attorney General. He would have to recuse himself if something comes before the Court that involves him in his capacity as Attorney General, or when he was chief counsel to the President.

The only women qualified for the spot just had a rough time being confirmed to Federal Judgeships. Judge Janice Rogers-Brown isn't as good a choice as judge Priscilla Owen, but they would be too controversial to have up for confirmation again.

I would prefer Judge Owen to replace Justice O'Connor, but I don't think the left would allow that. Because of that, I think Senator Cornyn should be nominated. THIS nominee will be raked over the coals, so it should be someone who the Democrats can't really object to.

Keep in mind, the Republicans hold the majority. The "Constitutional Option" could be used to negate the "Nuclear Option" that the Democrats hold as a threat over Republicans. The bottom line is that the President will get these two spots filled with whomever he wants. If he has to play rough, I'm sure Senator Frist will push the nominee(s) through.

But it's a process that belongs to the Senate. Outside interest groups should keep out of it. The Supreme Court is supposed to be neutral. Applying pressure from the outside tarnishes this process that has been in place for so many, many years.

A chance to help, and to smile

I have created a store at CafePress.com in the hopes of helping the relief efforts for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. It's a chance to smile, or to show your spirit for the fallen and help a good cause at the same time.

CafePress charges for the items. I have marked them up a bit so that some money can be raised. A portion of the sales will go to the charities helping those effected by the hurricane. Right now I'm thinking of sending the funds to the Red Cross, but if anyone has ideas for a better, more specific charity of good reputation, I'm open to suggestions. Email me at the link to the right.

The items are mostly of two types. Those poking fun at the President and those remembering the heros and the fallen of 9/11.

The link is to the right, or go to http://cafepress.com/scandalsheet

Thanks.

Have They No Shame? a.k.a. Negligent TV

I recently did an entry about bad television. This entry is about negligent television.

There is a story going around about the drunkedness & debauchery that went on during the filming of a show on E! called "Kill Reality". According to an "insider", there were many drunken orgies going on at the home that housed the cast. Allegedly one of the cast members was urinated on during sex. Another claim by the insider is that cocaine was being used at these parties. The insider claims that this was all going on in full view of the cameras.

The article first started at Radar Online's website. The link is here:

http://www.radaronline.com/fresh-intelligence/2005/08/29/index.php

Then much conversation on the message board at E!'s website for the show ensued. The link to the message board is here:

E! Online Insider Community: Kill Reality

Suddenly the story appears on "Page Six" of the New York Post on September 5th. Here is the article:

RAUNCHY ANTICS ON 'REALITY'

THE veterans of reality TV who shacked up to tape the E! channel's "Kill Reality" series were constantly getting drunk, pulling nasty pranks on each other and having orgies — and much of the footage was way too risqué even for cable." Kill Reality" chronicles a group of 12 contestants from reality shows like "Survivor," "The Apprentice" and "The Bachelor" who shared a house while they filmed a real-life horror flick, "The Scorned," which will be screened on E! later this month." The whole cast was drunk or wasted throughout the taping, and everyone was having sex with everyone else," one insider told Radaronline.But Scott Zakarin, executive producer of "Kill Reality," denies the Web site's disgusting allegation that, "someone relieved himself on Trishelle [Canatella, of 'Real World: Las Vegas' and Playboy fame] in full view of the cameras." Zakarin told PAGE SIX: "That is absolutely not true. But I know where the story came from, and it's even worse than that. It involved Johnny Fairplay ["Survivor: Pearl Islands"] and another girl, but not Trishelle." Zakarin went on to explain that Fairplay played a vile toilet-tank prank in the bathroom of "Survivor" babes Jenna Lewis and Jenna Morasca." It was pretty gross," Zakarin acknowledged. "But the girls paid him back" in kind with a retaliatory antic that can't be described in a family newspaper. Zakarin also denied that the "Kill Reality" cast members had been snorting cocaine off each other's private parts, as claimed in the online report. " If we had seen any drug use we would have shut it down immediately," he declared.Zakarin said E! might release a DVD of "The Scorned" that will include the more outrageous outakes from the show. " It will be a pretty wild DVD," he said. One subplot that viewers will never see was all the phone calls that the only gay star of "Kill Reality," Reichen Lehmkuhl ("The Amazing Race 4"), reportedly got from "American Idol" star Clay Aiken, who never appeared at the house. Asked about the calls, the show's publicist, Elizabeth Johnson, told Radaronline, "I don't really want to get into that."

----------------------

In the Radar Online story the rumors of wild times are confirmed by the Kill Reality show's publicist, Elizabeth Johnson. One VERY intriguing tidbit was not commented on though. It is the rumor that one of the cast members, Reichen Lehmkuhl (a gay man) was linked to American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken. This rumor was also not commented on by Aiken's people. (no denial, just a no comment)

In The Post's story we get comments from the executive producer of Kill Reality, Scott Zakarin. He contradicts what was said by the show's publicist, and offers (rather weakly) a reason behind what he feels was the origin of the golden shower incident. He denies drug use on the set or at the cast house. Frankly, I don't believe him at all. I think he is trying to save face so that his movie doesn't lose money. Zakarin says he doesn't want to talk about what the show's publicist said, even though he tries to deny what she said.

We know reality shows are cheap to make. The "stars" get paid almost nothing, because the exposure is good for them. It keeps them in the spotlight and that can translate to money down the line. A movie made with reality stars can be done for very cheap. This means that it won't have to do very well at the box office to bring in a profit. The people behind the movie are probably banking that the negative buzz won't effect the ticket sales in time. Basically the word gets out too late to stop a profit from being made. This assures that more projects like this happen in the future. (unless we as the public say we won't have it) I'll bet the people behind this know that having this story in the media basically ensures more movie buzz. To them there isn't any such thing as bad publicity. So we, as consumers need to show them that this is unacceptable.

I am calling on people to not watch this movie. I am calling on people to go to E!'s website and voice your displeasure. Let them know that you don't share their idea that this type of behavior is ok. Stop them before they get started. Contact E! and let them know that it's not cool to promote cocaine use or drunk orgies. Let the news media shows know this too. Email the networks, and file complaints at the FCC.



Recently VH1 replayed a show called "Remaking: Vanilla Ice". This is a series that attempts to revive the careers of musicians by bringing their image and style into the 21st century. Other musicians that were remade were Vince Neil of Motley Crue and Taylor Dane.

This episode was about revamping Robert V an Winkle a.k.a. Vanilla Ice. I have a couple problems with this guy.

Vanilla Ice has tried to remake himself a couple of times already. He went through a dreadlock phase, and then moved on to a hard rock take on his rap. He has many tattoos, and adopts an Orange County surfer look. He hasn't offered anything us anything of value, and that includes his "hit" of 'Ice, Ice, Baby' back in the 90's. Why waste any effort on this no-talent punk?

Some "genius" decides to book Vanilla Ice on the show "The Surreal Life" a few seasons back. It's mostly a show for has-been types. The producers make fun of the houseguests, and we get to watch the trainwreck. I guess it was from this season that someone thought it would be a good idea to bring back Vanilla Ice to the main public.

Problem is this: Vanilla Ice didn't do any remaking for this show. He refused to get a new look for his hair or his clothing style. He refused to get help with his moves. Vanilla's reasoning is that it's not about the look or the image, it's about the music. He went on and on about "being thrown under the bus" - I guess this was his way of saying he got burned in the past when trusting people. Vanilla Ice also didn't take his sessions with a life coach seriously. He refused to participate in the exercises... even going so far as to criticize the people involved while they were trying to better themselves. Vanilla Ice was given a production team to whip up a hit track for him. He chose to take lyrics from a previous song and put them over this new music. Not much for being remade, huh? He was hardly taking an original line here for this show.

He was given a trainer to help him get in better shape. The trainer found out that Vanilla Ice doesn't have much wind. We found out that this is because Vanilla Ice has a serious habit for marijuana. The trainer told Vanilla Ice to cut out the pot completely. Later on we see Vanilla Ice say that he isn't ever going to do that. Later we see Vanilla Ice toke up on a joint.

VH1 was negligent (in my opinion) for showing this behavior. I called the FCC to complain, but I was told that since it was on cable, not broadcast tv, and that it was shown after 9pm, that they couldn't do anything about it. Recently VH1 played this episode in the daytime... but when I called the FCC again, nobody wanted to take a complaint.

Since then Vanilla Ice has put out a new CD of music. CNN Headline News had him on one of their shows, I think it was Good Morning America that gave him publicity on broadcast tv, and Fox News' "Fox & Friends" had him on to promote his new CD.

Where was Bill O'Reilley with his outrage that Fox was promoting marijuana by giving this "musician" airtime? O'Reilley went on a rampage when Pepsi had rapper Ludacris in their commercials. O'Reilley said it's Ludacris' image that caused him to launch the boycott. Why didn't he speak up when his own network had a pothead on it's airwaves?

Since Bill O'Reilley isn't going to speak up, I call for you to do so. Contact VH1 and let them know that it's not cool to promote marijuana. Let the news media shows know this too. Email the networks, and file complaints at the FCC.

It's time for you to step up and do what is right.

A Salute from the President

Here is a still from some video of the President. I believe it was from the time when he was the Govenor of Texas. I think it's his way of saying what he thinks on many subjects. It's because of antics like this that he has upset many people. It's shows he isn't very serious, and with an attitude like that how can we trust him to do the right thing in times of need. (like the situation from the aftermath of Katrina) Hopefully the President has grown up a bit since this period of his life, but I keep thinking of this photo whenever he screws up.

Better Left Unsaid...

A wise person once said something to the effect that, "It's better to keep your mouth shut, and be thought a fool - than to open it up and remove all doubt."

Kanye West should have listened to that bit of advice. Recently during a fundraiser for Hurricane Katrina victims he said that the President doesn't like black people. This is a very stupid comment by Mr. West because it's such a ridiculous thing to say. One might take this as an innocent comment, but Kanye West has a history of being a bigot. He was on a music awards show where he won some title like entertainer of the year and he was upset attention was being paid to the best male vocalist - country winner. He was saying that country music isn't real music, and that he was the best because of his award, so why were they paying attention to this other guy?

I'm not one to praise the dumb show "Punk'd", but it does give you an idea of what kind of person somebody is when they get put under the pressure of being punk'd. Kanye West was shown to be an arrogant a$$hole. He didn't care about anything else but himself. When confronted with the idea that he was breaking the laws regarding the filming industry, he chose to break them further by trying to move location & then stealing the confiscated film footage. His attitude was "I paid for this, it's mine" and "I can do what I want" show his disregard for anyone else.

So, for him to criticize the President is something of interest. He doesn't seem to have a good opinion of white people. I guess it's the hypocrite in him that allows him to comment on the President.

Kanye West said he was going to contact his business manager to see how large a contribution he could make. I'm assuming that the relief efforts charity doesn't have an upper limit - so we can assume that he was talking about how much money he was actually willing to give. It sounds good for his image to say it the way he did... I'm just curious how much, if any, he actually gave.

I'm going to be looking into that little tidbit, and I'll report if I find out.

I'm not backing the President on this. I feel that not enough was done soon enough. More could have been done, and still can be done from a government point of view. But saying that the President doesn't like black people is an attempt to blame him for all the black people that died in the wake of Katrina. Many, many mistakes were made. But I don't think they were done maliciously. Some rescue efforts were hampered by people opening fire on the rescuers.

Kanye West should think before he says something as serious as what he did about the President.

ENOUGH Already!!!

I see that the "Reverend" Al Sharpton has shown up in Huston at the Astrodome. Why is this guy given publicity when he goes ANYWHERE??? The media keeps enabling him to show up whenever he feels an injustice has happened to the African-American community. Whether an injustice has actually happened or not doesn't matter, Al will be there in a jiffy. When there has been an offense he detracts from the injustice because the attention goes to him, not the situation at hand. He is a joke, and the African-American community should denounce him like the Muslim community needs to denounce terrorists; the Christian community needs to denounce Pat Robertson; and the Catholice community needs to denounce pedophile priests. He NEVER gets results for the situation he visits - he only gets publicity for himself. It's time to stop Al Sharpton from showing up at a place just to whore himself.

Another person who fits this catagory is the "Reverend" Jesse Jackson. People should have stopped listening to him when he fathered a child to someone who wasn't the woman he is married to. Seems to me that there is a commandment against adultery from the God he serves.

Jesse showed up in Florida when the 2000 election was in dispute. Who does he think he is? Hed's not a player in politics, and shouldn't be. Seems to me there is a law against church and state mixing it up. Can you say hypocricy?

Then we saw Jesse in Florida again when Terri Schaivo was the hot topic. Once again he was mixing religion with politics, when he should have just kept his nose out of it. He must have no soul since he can whore himself for the conservative, right-wing, republican topics just as much as he does for the liberal, left-wing, democrat crusades.

Recently he was in latin america to support the president of Venezuel, who was verbally attacked by Pat Roberson. (more on that guy in a minute)

What reason does Jesse have being there to support the Venezuelan president? Or was he there in solidarity of Fidel Castro, communism, or radical extremist Islam? (all causes supported by Venezulea's president)

But let's not forget where Jesse was before he was kissing up to a thug dictator who has threatened the national interest of the united States - he was with Michael Jackson durring his sex trial. And don't talk to me about how Michael was found "not guilty". I don't care what that jury said, or what those two trying to sell books are now saying. He's guilty of molesting children - PLAIN & SIMPLE!!! He has done it before, he did it to the kid in this trial, and he will do it again. We get upset over a Joseph Edward Duncan III, Catholic priests, or a John Couey - but we give the King of Pop a free pass to molest all he wants. And Jesse was right there, defending Micheal and smiling for the cameras.

Why has Pat Robertson been given a free pass to flood the airwaves with his crackhead ramblings? I don't care what he owns or runs, SOMEONE needs to shut him down!!

Lets give a rundown of just some of his rantings.

He once said that someone should drop a nuclear device on Foggy Bottom. (home of the State Department)

He asked for his viewers to pray for more openings on the Supreme Court - NOW. This can only mean he was asking for them to pray for the death of the Justices.

He has gone on the record saying that hewants the government to assinate the president of Venezuela. Later he claimed he was misquoted. This was an obvious lie. There was video that clearly had him saying what was reported. After that he tried claiming that he didn't mean "assassinate, that he meant kidnapping to take him out of power. (like this is any better than asking for his death)

Where are the masses of Christians demanding that these three stooges just shut the hell up? Where are the people demanding that the networks stop giving them free publicity, thus enabling them to continue. Treat them with silence and their effectiveness goes away, meaning then that they will go away.

It has come time to call these three to task, to make them stop showing up for a cause that doesn't want or need them.

Bad Television

I couldn't keep watching all the coverage of Hurricane Katrina or Natalee Holloway, so I've been going around the channels looking for something good to watch. I haven't been having much luck, and I'll detail some of the worst I've seen.

1. Rockstar:INXS sounds good on paper. The rock band INXS is looking for a singer to fill in for Michael Hutchence, their original singer who committed suicide. They brought in 15 singers to compete. The problem is that this show can't be on the up-and-up. I haven't recorded the show to look at the credits, but I'll bet there is some disclaimer like on the Donald Trump show "The Apprentice". On that show is says something to the effect that the show's producers consult with Mr. Trump in deciding who is "fired".

My main problem with this show is that it's obvious that the winner will be one of the three remaining Caucasian guys in the competition. On Wednesday the sole African-American ("Ty") was eliminated. In a sad turn of events, Ty played the race card - insinuating that he was eliminated not based on talent (or lack thereof) but because he is black. Ty had a good voice for Broadway, but he's not a rocker. But according to Ty, he felt he was the best singer, but for the color of his skin and these racist members of INXS.

Deep down I knew Ty wouldn't win, even though he can sing well. The fact is, he IS black - and the rest of INXS isn't. It's strictly a marketing issue. The fan-base wouldn't take Ty as singer in INXS.

Which is the same reason that the two remaining women aren't going to win. Not that they DESERVE to win. Jordis & Suzie should have been eliminated a long time ago. Personally, I think Suzie is giving sexual favors to the band & co-host, Dave Navarro. They praise her WAY too much.

My guess is that J.D. will win. It's a shame that he gets so much negative criticism, he's got the total package for this gig. It's his personal relations & attitude that throw some people off.

2. Kill Reality is a show about how some reality show "stars" are trying to make a movie. They can't get hired the way everyone else does, so they hired themselves & are hoping that this will get them legitimate work in the future. There is so much bad acting going on that you will puke.

The only thing else I am going to say is that "Jonny Fairplay" needs to get smacked in his punk face.

3. Being Bobby Brown is a train-wreck about the life of R&B singers Bobby Brown & his wife, Whitney Houston. They talk about each others butts (the insides, not the outside), about using hemorrhoid cream on your face, about nasty sex, among other things. It's not a show to watch after you have just eaten something.

4. & 5. are two shows that I'm lumping together because the hosts used to have a show together.
Too Late with Adam Corolla & Jimmy Kimmel Live area waste of the airwaves. Their old show (The Man Show) seemed funny, but maybe that was because the audience was drinking and couldn't tell how bad they were. Drunk guys will think a show is good if it has women dressed in next to nothing walking around.

First off, Jimmy Kimmel Live hasn't been "Live" in ages. I always see the disclaimer of either "recorded earlier" or "previously recorded" (they are two different things) as the show begins.

Next, Jimmy has an actress/comedienne named Sarah Silverman on his show alot. She's not on to promote a movie or a show that she is doing. What is she doing you ask...I'll tell you. She's doing Jimmy Kimmel. Sarah Silverman is Jimmy's girlfriend and he's throwing her some work since she isn't in demand these days. He got her on the roast of Pamela Anderson for Comedy Central. She never met Pam before the show, but that didn't stop Jimmy from putting her on the show. She was on the show in August, and she'll be on Friday, September the 2nd too.

Next we see how Jimmy doesn't just pimp his girlfriend for his show... he gets his family into the act too. He has his Uncle Frank as "security" for the show. This guy is beyond retirement age & couldn't stop anyone without having a heart attack. he isn't funny, but he's good to laugh at I guess. Jimmy even has his aunt on from time to time. He sent her to Ozzfest, a heavy metal rock festival, just so we could see scene after scene of her being out of place. Then there is the most blatant abuse of nepotism. Jimmy's cousin Sal is so unfunny it's ridiculous. He's just a rude @$$hole.

Adam's show isn't much but him bitching about what pisses him off. He's rude to his call in viewers. He generally doesn't have a clue, except when he does some blatant advertising/kissing butt of Jimmy Kimmel. I'll have to look and see if Jimmy Kimmel is on the production of this worthless show. These two have a mutual masturbation society going on, they advertise for each other so much.

While I'm at it, 6. is another show by Jimmy Kimmel. It's the Andy Milonakis Show. He was cute pre-puberty on Jimmy's show, but he's like 13 now & writing for his own show. He is a poster boy for birth control. Nothing funny happens here.

7. & 8. are reality shows by Howie Mandel and Kathy Griffin. Howie shouldn't have come out of retirement and Kathy needs to come up with material rather than just use her interactions with/musings of celebrities she encounters.

9. Minding the Store has another no-talent (in this case Paulie Shore) gets a show. Here he also gets to run his mother's comedy club. This show is so bad they offered to pay you a dollar if you didn't like it after watching it. Not enough cash to entice me to watch Paulie.

10. Taradise (formerly known as "Wild On") is definitely a train-wreck of a show. When Brooke Burke hosted the show it had some class. She would travel the globe and show us exotic places to visit and party. Now, Tara Reid, travels the globe and shows us how drunk she can get. Tara doesn't need to drink to make a fool of herself, but it gets turned up a notch when she drinks. And boy does she like to drink. All you need to know is that on a promo Tara proudly proclaims that she knows how to say "free drinks" in eight languages. It's most likely that Tara is an alcoholic, and this show is enabling her to slide even farther downward towards her eventual rock bottom. It's a shame that the process will be documented on TV for future generations. E! is just hoping that Tara will get so drunk that she will do something embarrassing. Shame on them for that & shame on Tara for going along with it.

11. The Surreal Life is a show I normally like, but this latest season has a guest that we can all do without. Janice Dickinson has no class or shame. She is still trying to hold on to her claim to fame as a "super"model. (a title she gives herself - claiming to have created the term in reference to herself) Janice was never a supermodel in my opinion. That term refers to someone with some class. A person like Cindy, Claudia, Paulina, Eva, Tyra, Christy, or Stephanie. Janice is nothing but a washed up coke whore, and she is a terrible example of a human being. On this show she has made fun of the disabled, verbally abused her fellow guests, used her FORMER occupation as an excuse to get out of doing ANYTHING resembling work or an activity. She is such a drama queen it makes you want to puke. On the first episode she claims that Bronson Pinchot was groping her, and then later on we see her forcing a lapdance on him. She also gropes Jose Canseco every chance she gets. She bashes Omorosa without merit, once referring to her as a whore in public. Later on we see her posing near Omorosa with a large knife in hand. We see her jealous side when she criticizes Omorosa when she is participating in a lingerie show.

Janice is a disgusting person, and it's amazing that she is allowed to have her child (children?) in her custody. Hopefully the idea of Karma is true and that Janice will get a full dose her way. Rumor has it that she is getting her own reality show. Hopefully it gets cancelled quickly. Send her a message that we don't care about her trite life. Send her back to anonymity where she can wallow in her small small existence.

Then there are shows like Monster Garage, American Chopper, Blow Dry, American Hot Rod, and the like (ad nauseum). In these shows there is a leader who likes to talk to the cameras alot, but not do much work. He yells at his underlings. When things go bad, he blames them. When things go great, he takes all the credit. The "leaders" end up being millionaires because their underlings do all the work, while the underlings get little or nothing for their hard work. These leaders are egotistical, but don't show much for all their bravado.

I'm so done with regular tv. It's back to DVD movies and internet surfing.

Katrina

I want to start this blog off by saying that I think the Government has totally mishandled this situation. It is unacceptable that the main focus seems to be Marshall Law tactics rather than search and rescue. People are dying fom lack of water, food, and a place to safely go. The Government needs to do SOMETHING, not just more. This could have the effect of causing nationwide riots due to the lack of action of the Government.

Hurricane Katrina has been a devastating event. It has been (and will continue to be) a defining moment in our history - like the assassination of J.F.K. ; the falling of the Berlin Wall; the end of the Cold War; the events of September 11, 2001; or the two Space Shuttle tragedies. This is an event that will have you remembering where you were when it happened. I am saddened by the loss, and my heart goes out to those who have lost their homes, possessions, and their family members.

I also am sickened by some of the actions I have seen on tv as a result of the massive flooding in New Orleans. I know some people will try to justify the looting as people just doing what they had to do, just to survive.

I say that is a load of crap. People make choices, and choices have consequences. It is sad that some people are choosing to use this tragedy to justify criminal behavior. People need to accept responsibility for their actions.

I have seen people looting, not the essentials, but luxury (so-called "big ticket" items that cost alot of money) items that they could use to profit from later on. Why does someone need to steal dozens of fishing rods, or tvs, or other electronics? We aren't talking food, or clothing here, we are talking about greed.

What is worse is that I have seen police officers who not only look the other way to the looting, but have joined in. This theft (by civilians & police alike) has been well documented on video. One sad note is that the faces you see on video are of African-Americans almost exclusively. I saw one caucasin looter. Maybe I haven't seen all the footage, maybe the networks haven't shown caucasin looters... or maybe it's just the fact in this matter.

When you see the stranded people in New Orleans, it's the same thing - a sea of black faces.

This shouldn't be the case, but it seems to be that way. It all comes back to what I said about choices.

The city of New Orleans was ordered to evacuate. There were place for people to go if they couldn't afford a hotel. THOUSANDS of people CHOSE not to leave. I'm not going to say what their intentions were, but it's possible that some thought it would be bad enough for them to get away with looting. Nobody could have seen that the devastation would be this bad. But the bottom line is that people chose to stay... and then they chose to loot. (using an excuse of "I had to do what I had to do just to survive")

Those who stayed after a mandatory evacuation was ordered have nobody but themselves to blame if they were stranded as badly as we have seen on tv.

Today we have seen that violence has broken out at the Superdome, a place where refugees flocked for their safety. Gunfire has happened. People have even taken to shooting at the helicopters trying to help with the rescue efforts. This is unexcusable, not to mention criminal. This tragedy can not be used as an excuse to shoot at the authorities trying to help.

The rebuilding efforts will probably take years, but the scars left behind from this type of criminal behavior will take much longer. The mob mentality won't wash away the sins of the few who have chosen to step outside of a civilized society and break the law. The soul of this wonderful city has been wounded by such lawlessness. Hopefully it can fully recover.

People make choices every day. All choices have consequences - some good, some bad. It is sad that so many have chosen to choose poorly. These people deserve to be prosecuted. Anyone who tries to profit from this tragedy deserves to be prosecuted. This means looters, criminals, and price gougers. Taking advantage of these hard-hit people should also be a crime.

This is a time when the Government needs to step up to the plate on many fronts. Will they answer the call properly? History will tell us if we have done right by the people affected by this tragedy. Where were you, and what did you do to help?