My "View"

Last week as I was dreading the inevitable boredom that comes with summer vacation, I decided to switch on ABC to catch up with "The View" last Wednesday.  I am by no means a regular watcher, but with all of the recent hype, I decided to watch the "Hot Topics" just to see if anything would happen.

Well, something happened.  In fact, not only did something happen, but it happened.

The biggest blow up yet between Rosie O'Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck occurred on the day I decided to watch "The View."  Rosie called Elisabeth "cowardly," while Elisabeth fired back that Rosie should start defending her own incinuations rather than have others do it for her.  I love live television.

After a pre-emption by the president (I'm sure unrelated to the fight) on Thursday and a taped episode on Friday, it was announced that Rosie asked for an early leave from her contract. 

Good riddance.  More on that later.

Rosie said she "knew it was over" when producers used a split-screen during the fight showing Rosie on the left and Elisabeth on the right as they fired comments back at one another.  Excuse me?  Viewers would probably be dizzy from the camerapeople having to switch back and forth between them, so it was both an aesthetic and functional use of the split screen.  But, to me, that's just an extremely minor detail.

I also decided to watch yesterday, the first live broadcast since the debacle.  Barbara Walters began the show explaining the "truth" of what happened.  Rosie left the show on her own accord (which I do believe), Barbara said.  Elisabeth chimed in saying that she and Rosie learned the power of forgiveness and are heading down that path now.  That depends on whom you ask.

Rosie announced on her video blog that she doesn't believe she'll ever speak to Elisabeth again; this after she offered Elisabeth and her family a week at her Miami house as a birthday gift.  So if anyone wants a vacation, contact Rosie -- I think there's an opening.

I don't care what your politics are -- Rosie is obnoxious.  I have conservative friends who love her.  I have liberal friends that hate her.  She said herself that the media always takes what "big, fat, lesbian Rosie" says and turns it into an attack on "poor, Christian Elisabeth."  I don't see her point.  If she doesn't want the media to make it look like she's attacking Elisabeth, then stop being so cruel and closed-minded, no?

It is undeniable that Rosie brought more publicity to "The View."  She has completely revitalized the show from what it was dating back from the Star Jones debacle.  (In fact, in a "Hot Topic" discussion, Rosie claimed that if the cohosts were to win a Daytime Emmy this year, it would be thanks to Barbara for hiring her.  So...Rosie equals Emmy?)

But that doesn't mean Rosie was a blessing.  She has ruined some of Barbara Walters' relationships with friends, most notably Donald Trump.  She has commandeered a show with multiple hosts and tried turning it into her old talk show.  And she has garnered publicity for the wrong reasons.  Instead of people actually wanting to watch the show, she has made people (like me) want to watch to see if there will be a fight.  Networks probably don't care; they just want the ratings.  It's the public that's put out in the cold for watching garbage.

While looking up Elisabeth on IMDb, I found it funny that she was actually a guest on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" in 2001.  I recall Rosie's obsession with "Survivor," and Elisabeth was a contestant on the second season.  Though "The View" was on air at this point, it was long before both would join the cast.  It was before Rosie officially announced she was gay.  It was before Elisabeth was married and had a child.

In other words, it was the good old times when Rosie threw Koosh balls to the audience and Elisabeth was capitalizing on her 15 minutes of fame.

Amazing what a few different "View"s do, isn't it?

Why I like Craig Ferguson.

I've always respected Craig Ferguson, host of The Late Late Show.  I think his type of humor is very mature (for the most part), which is one reason why I think Letterman picked him to fill the spot a few years ago.

Ferguson usually does a one-subject monologue during the opening of his nightly show.  It's amazing because it's difficult to make a string of jokes on the same topic.  He's a great improvisor, and he's a great comedian all around.

On President's Day, Ferguson took a departure from his typical comedic routine.  The previous Friday, the world found out that Britney Spears had a rough day after shaving her head and reportedly checking into rehab for about an hour.  Of course, that type of behavior qualifies her to be the butt of late-night talk show jokes for a good month or two.

Ferguson, on the other hand, decided against it.  In a monologue that was as delightfully awkward as Michael Richards' apology on The Late Show, Ferguson spoke out against making fun of Spears.

"People are falling apart, people are dying," he said, saying he began feeling uncomfortable with making fun of these people like Spears and Anna Nicole Smith.  Instead, people should be making fun of the "politicians, the Trumps, the blowhards," just to open the eyes of everyone to see what they are actually doing--almost to expose them.

He admitted that his aim has been off for a little bit.  The audience was not sure how to react, so they naturally responded with laughter.  Then, he began to explain his own story, how that weekend was his 15th anniversary of being sober.  He was on the verge of committing suicide, literally steps away from doing it.  Alcohol was his medication, he said, and practically saved his life.  The next day, he went into rehab.

Throughout the monologue, Ferguson made pokes at himself during his "bad" years, which were meant to be jokes, and the audience responded appropriately.  But at the end, after sharing his story, he got his point across.  He can empathize with people like Britney Spears, which not everyone can understand.  He called Spears "vulnerable" and said that people should not be attacking her based on her actions.  She's confused and helpless, he said.

This is what makes Ferguson different from every other talk show host out there.  Joy Behar argued that if you can't make fun of these people, then there's no comedy to be made.  Well, that just shows a lack of creativity, because everyday acts can be turned into comedy.  Clearly, she's never seen an episode of Seinfeld.  Ferguson sacrificed a full monologue of his show dedicated to defending people like Britney Spears, Kevin Costner and other celebrities attacked by the media, including himself.  He admitted he did wrong and now has a different outlook on these figures.

This is the biggest thing that bothers me about the media.  Celebrities are always in the public eye--they really have no way of escaping it.  They take up that role as soon as they make it big.  And to put it bluntly, that sucks.  If cameras began falling around an average Joe from Allentown, the media would take one thing he may find ordinary and blow it out of proportion, thus having the rest of the country think he's nuts, similar to what happened to Spears.

I don't know what happened to Britney.  I don't know what compelled her to shave her head.  I don't know why she checked into rehab.  And I don't care.  Sure, news would break that she did these things, that's fine.  But analysis and constant poking of her agents and reps is unnecessary.  What these celebrities sometimes need is their own privacy that the media is not giving them.  We're all human beings, and at times we break down.  We need some time to ourselves.  Celebrities don't get that benefit.

I'm not defending celebrities here; after all, they put themselves into the position where the media can trace their every move.  Their actions become their responsibility.  It also becomes their responsibility to get help if they need it.  I'm speaking out against the media, the paparazzi, the people who don't recognize another's call or need for help.  Because when someone realizes another needs help, that person needs to confront the other.

Craig Ferguson can recognize the call.  And he's the only one that will acknowledge it.  And he will respect the people for it.  And he will try to make others aware of the issue at hand and explain how these things are not necessarily choices--they are parts of human behavior.

That's why I like Craig Ferguson.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bbaRyDLMvA

Welcome 2007

It's been 452 days since RandomRubbish on Xanga was created.  According to Xanga, that's a long time.

365 of those days occurred in 2006.  Wow, I just passed 3rd grade.

That many days can seem like such a long period and short period at the same time.  When you think about it, 365 days out of your entire lifetime is not that much.  In fact, if you live to be 70, one year is only 1.4% of your life.  If you had a sliver of pie that small, you probably won't be too satisfied.

What really happens in a year?  When someone asks you in 2020, "List 10 significant things that happened to you in 2006," it will probably be pretty difficult to remember.  I can't remember a thing before 2000, and I have enough trouble with rememberng what I had for dinner last night.  Sure, there are some memories that seem to have years attached to them.  But when most people try to think of the year one particular event occurred, there's usually at least a three-year window involved.

Even collectively, as a nation, as a world, it is difficult to attach things to a particular year.  In America, the Founding Fathers made it easy for us and made every four years an election year, but only a handful have been extremely exciting in our nation's history whereas others aren't worth the attention.  The year 2001 will always be engrained in our minds as the year of the terrorist attack, similar to how 1941 is reminiscent of Pearl Harbor.  But in 2006, what really happened?

The war in Iraq continued.  Saddam Hussein was turned over to Iraqi custody and was executed.  YouTube, MySpace, Facebook and other similar Internet Web sites made headline news (for some reason).  The DaVinci Code came out in theaters after years of anticipation.  Philadelphia surpassed its murder count from 2005, with many people calling Philly the "City in Crisis."  The WB and UPN disappeared.

As I sat here trying to conjure up more well-known memories of 2006, I got bored.  I just can't come up with many more.  When it comes to the news, I am very educated...CNN.com is my home page.  But despite my obsession with knowing what's happening in the world, I can't seem to recall a lot of the major events.  (Really...don't ask me what I'm trying to say here, because I have absolutely no idea.  I'm just doing a form of free association.  Besides, my retention rate isn't that high...)

Then we think about our lives personally.  What happened in 2006 that had a direct effect on us?  On our relationships?  On our lives?  I've had my eventful years...1987 and 2003 being the most notable for me.  If someone asks me sometime down the road, "What was you favorite/most eventful year you lived?" 2006 would be towards the bottom of the list (technically, I guess it would be tied for 3rd with every other year besides 1987 and 2003--that is, unless something else noteworthy comes along).  For me, 2006 was when I started actually enjoying college (some parts, at least).  I made new friends.  I kept old ones.  I worked a "real" job.  I went swimming for the first time in God knows how long.  But frankly, I don't care.

I am grateful for all of these things happening.  2006 was a great year for me...not too boring, not too dramatic.  But the actual year itself means absolutely nothing.  The fact that the events happened is good enough.  I guess what I'm trying to get at is that I don't like to classify things by the year they occurred, but rather I like to acknolwedge the things, both personal and global, that occurred during my lifetime.

So on this New Year's Day, look forward to the next 365 days, and the 365 beyond that, and those beyond that.  Time is a strange thing.  It comes, and it goes, and though it may occasionally seem like it, no one second is ever repeated.  But a great thing about time is that it allows things to happen.  It allows for memories to be made.  It allows for heartbreak, for rejoicing, for crying, for laughter.  It allows for personal growth, for world growth.  It allows each of us to take on a fresh day given to us and do something that makes an impact.  Something that one day, perhaps, we'd be able to search deep and pull from our brains, "Yeah...I planted that tree back in 2007."

But remember...the fact that you planted that tree is fact enough.

Happy 2007, all!

Currently Watching Are You Afraid of the Dark? - The Complete First Season see related

All hope is lost...

That's it.  We're all doomed.  None of us can escape the divorce epidemic.  First, we had Britney and K-Fed.  (That name always reminds me of FedEx.  Just sharing.)  We also had Nick and Jessica.  Brad and Jen...remember them?  Oh, and of course...Reese and Ryan.  No one thought that would end.  But now, we seriously are doomed.

Yes, Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock have called it quits.  After their multiple marriages over the summer, they've decided that after four months, they can't do it.  Granted, they have been engaged since 2002, broke up a year later, and then got back together.  Oh well.  It's sad knowing that none of us will have successful marriages, because if Kid and Pamela can't make it...by God, we're all doomed.

Alex's Lemonade has its own MySpace account.  Yeah...it's...weird.  But, on it, you can hear one of my favorite all-time songs, the official "Alex's Lemonade Stand Song"!!!!!  How awesome is that?  It's by a new band...Clique...a bunch of 13-year-old girls or something...but, now there's harmonization!  Same old tune, just more stuff added to it.  I bought it off of iTunes, I won't lie.  But, of course, a large percentage of that 99 cents goes towards the fund.  So you should download too!

Also, my mom has a MySpace account.  Also...it's...weird.  She's just checking up on some close relatives of mine.  Thus, to prevent such an attack on me, I made my account private.  Not that I have much on there, anyway...but...she's my mom.  AIM is enough for her.  Just saying.  I honestly think she has a secret identity...every now and then, we get mail addressed to Jo Ann DiDaniels.  Same address...different name.  I swear...she has a double life.

Just kidding...

So today, I have received what I've been waiting for.  After an excellent night with friends at home a few weeks ago, I went online to do some surfing.  I was extremely sleepy and had no concept of what I was doing.  Then I fell asleep.  I woke up the next morning thinking, "Wait...did I purchase something last night?"  And, of course, I did.  As I was surfing, I came across...get this...season 1 of Are You Afraid of the Dark? on DVD.  I got it on the Canada version of Amazon.com (that is, Amazon.ca).  And...it was only $30 Canadian.  I don't know what that equals out to...but I still think it's pretty cool!  If you're lucky, I'll let you watch.

So after that adventure, I did some more research.  Turns out that You Can't Do That on Television may be coming out on DVD sometime in the future, in addition to What Would You Do? with Marc Summers.  How awesome would that be?  This made me do an entire night (and I really mean entire night...I believe it was a Saturday...leave me alone) of searching YouTube and various other Web sites looking for old-school Nick stuff.  I even went to Tower Records and found a Nickelodeon CD with TV themes and other old-school commercials.  Amazing.

I think this entry is the epitome of pointlessness.  Probably the only things you learned were 1) Kid and Pamela are no more, 2) Are You Afraid of the Dark? is on DVD, and 3) I have no life on Saturday nights.  And I'm OK with that...  As long as Xanga doesn't delete my account, I'll be happy.

So, until next time Rubbishers, good night and good rubbish!

That's what "they" say...

First, check out this article from CNN.com.  I enjoyed reading it.  You might, too.

Apparently, it is now becoming acceptable for "they" to be used as a singular pronoun, as in, "If anyone wants to buy a car, they have to save money."  Not "he or she has to save money."  Well, as we all know, I hate change.  And this is one that I am not accepting at all.  "They" is a plural pronoun...it implies that there is more than one person being discussed.  Therefore, how can it now be acceptable for it to be used singularly?  It can't.

There was a Democratic Senator (I believe...possibly Representative) elected to the Senate (or House) this past Election Day whose name is...  Sheldon Whitehouse.  Yes.  Whitehouse.  So now, the Whitehouse is in the Congress.  Hahahahaha!  Sorry...bad attempt.  Charlie Gibson did it better on his election night coverage.  In any case, that's really funny.  Should he run for president (which I highly doubt will happen...and if he does, I'm sure he will not be supported by the Democratic party), there'd be a Whitehouse in the White House!  (Now, that one sounds a little better.)  Anyway...I was just saying...it's a funny name.  That's probably why he got elected.

On that note, here is my official goodbye to Congressman Curt Weldon.  It's been a great 20 years, Curt.  Who would've guessed that our former Marcus Hook mayor and elementary school teacher could make the big time in Washington, D.C.  No one else would've cared if a certain section of Boothwyn wanted to be known as Garnet Valley, PA, just to escape the Marcus Hook stereotype (again, no offense).  I'm sure we'll hear from you later.

I believe I called this when the initial event happened.  Yes, that's right.  B.Spears and K-Fed called it quits.  Surprise, surprise.  In a time when anything is possible (Brad and Jen, Ryan and Reese), even Miss Cleo could have seen this one coming.  I've gotta say...that girl is a fool.  And that's all I'll say.  I don't think an explanation is needed.

The Sands casino in Atlantic City locked out its last gambler yesterday morning as it closed its doors to pave the way to a new superresort.  I disagree with this action.  The Sands is a perfectly stable and nice-looking building.  But we here in America are obssessed with materialism, so we must demolish to make a building bigger and more (unnecessarily) extravagant.  Especially a building that swallows people's wallets.  I will not be visiting this so-called superresort when it opens in 2011.  Just putting that out there.

I saw a sign a few days ago that said 83% of Temple students do not use marijuana.  Well, that's good, I guess.  Although, the marketer who came up with that sign should be kicked onto Broad Street.  Let's take this into numbers...  83% of Temple students (undergraduates only) make up 15,770 people.  That means that 17% (approximately 3,320 people) do use marijuana.  That's almost an entire freshman class!  Maybe if the number were more like...96% of Temple students do not use marijuana, it would be acceptable.  But saying that over 3,000 Temple students are potheads?  Smart, people.

That's all for me Rubbishers.  Until next time, good night and good rubbish.

P.S.  www.randomrubbish.net is actually made, but it is not online.  I think my computer is screwed up.  But in any case, keep looking.  It's coming...