After weeks of seeking and searching, I have decided to bring this series of articles to a merciful end. I was really surprised by how few options there were for the summer, but usually the warm months are the time when the most exciting things to do are outside the house. I consider it a lesson learned. Since my options for the final slot were grim, I took a page from installment six by compiling some of my favorite bits and pieces from the news covering the past three and a half months. See if you agree with some of my noteworthy selections:
The BP spill
There, obviously, was nothing entertaining about this man made mess which initially started with an oil rig explosion in April that left 11 dead and 17 injured, a fact that was often overshadowed by the horror of watching the live video feed of hundreds of thousands of gallons of crude oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico. The loss of life was even more heartbreaking as the bodies of the eleven were never found. During this tragedy you would be hard pressed to find articles which spoke the names or showed the faces of the victims (possibly out of respect for the privacy of the families), but images of oil covered birds and blackened beaches abound. Our earth is a non-renewable resource and I value measures to protect it, but the media changing the focus of this event entirely into an eco-centric one doesn't change the fact that eleven people are gone and if we instead make changes to protect the well being of those who work in the industry, the state of the environment and all other animals in it will naturally improve.
John Mayer Quits Twitter
For a man that probably says too much (see Playboy interview), John Mayer deleting his Twitter account makes a lot of sense considering the 140 character limit. After a couple of major snafus in the media: having an impromptu press conference where he discussed break up with Jennifer Aniston; doing a comedy routine where he riffed on his relationship with Jennifer Love Hewitt; describing Jessica Simpson as 'sexual napalm'; using the n-word in an interview , perhaps a break from constant exposure and commentary is just what the singer-songwriter needs, but then again he signed up for Tumblr, an easy to use short form blog. Let's hope the next thing that comes out his mouth that raises an eyebrow is a song.
Ines Sainz allegedly gets ogled by Jets players
The Mexican reporter tweeted that things got uncomfortable and awkward in the Jets locker room while she was waiting to interview quarterback, Mark Sanchez. Instead of all eyes turning to the inexcusable behavior of the New York team, they were turned with vicious ferocity back at Sainz. Fellow (male) reporters suggested that her attire was inappropriate and implied that she deserved the unwanted attention that she got. What’s hard to believe is that grown men can't control themselves around a pretty woman. What's sadder is that instead of taking responsibility for their actions, they point the finger.
The proposed mosque near WTC site
You might think word of this site just recently went around, but initial reports about the construction (formerly called the Cordoba House, now known as Park51) were made last year. So why all the brouhaha now? Because its an election year and nothing galvanizes the vote more than propaganda and demagoguery. Protesters and public figures have vilified the imam, Feisal Abdul Rauf, suggesting without proof, that his group has ties to Islamic extremists. Such talk reminds me of a time when the U.S. put its own citizens in camps because they looked like the enemy. We should watch that we don't repeat past ignorance.
Montana Fishburne does porn
I cringed when I recently saw Laurence Fishburne as a presenter at the Primetime Emmys, not because he did anything, but I squirmed as I thought about the fact that everyone in the audience and those watching at home were aware of his daughter's embarrassing attempt to make it (no pun intended) by peddling her flesh in a skin flick. To explain her actions, she had said, 'I view making this movie as an important first step in my career. I've watched how successful Kim Kardashian became and I think a lot of it was due to the release of her sex tape by Vivid. I'm hoping the same magic will work for me. I'm impatient about getting well-known and having more opportunities and this seemed like a great way to get started on it.' Why the daughter of a successful black actor can't have Daddy pull a couple of strings in Hollywood is beyond me, but her belief that porn is the doorway to mainstream success is disturbingly misguided.
The Hills ends its run on MTV
The granddaddy of all fakety fake reality shows aired its series finale after six seasons with a closing shot that was supposedly tongue in cheek, but really its tongue was sticking straight out at the viewers. Hints have dropped through the show's run that while scenes were not explicitly scripted, they were apparently staged. Some cast members have even said as much; when asked about an apology she received from Spencer Pratt over the phone, Lauren Conrad (the series lead for the first five seasons) responded, 'To be perfectly honest, I wasn't on the other line of that call...That was filmed and I wasn't on the other end...so I didn't know about it until--So, no, I never did get an apology.' Coincidentally, the fans didn't either.
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