Even MORE unrelated things...

WE ALL KNOW THAT CRAP IS KING (REPRISE)
Not that I'm condoning any of this, but can you believe the absolute ratings bonanza the television media has already been bestowed with for this year's February sweeps?  Between this whacked-out astronaut chick (or "Lust In Space", as Faux News Channel is already calling the story), Prince's so-called phallic symbol at the Super Bowl, the former NBA player who outed himself, and now the not-so-surprising death of Anna Nicole Smith, it's a veritable feast for every TV pundit, news hound and talk show host from Maine to Maui.  Even our little boom-boom here in K.C. last night was a boon to local TV news outlets.  What's scary is we're barely a quarter of the way through the month!  At least I haven't had to hear anything about Terrell Owens for the last month or so...

DO ASK, DO TELL
Regarding John Amaechi, the former NBA player who has come out as being gay, pardon my cynicism here, but I just couldn't help but notice the timing of his little admission—just in time for the above-mentioned February sweeps.  Think about it—he has a book to sell, and by coming out (both literally and figuratively) now, he's assured of getting booked on all the talk shows (Oprah, "Good Morning, America", Anderson Cooper, "Good Morning, Sacramento", Leno, "Good Morning, Chattanooga", Letterman, "Good Morning, Punxsutawney", ad nauseam), thus generating more publicity, thus translating to more book sales!  Ain't America great?  Meantime, I have one other question—did this guy actually play in the NBA?  While I don't follow the NBA all that closely, I'm more than just a casual fan, and I can honestly say I'd never even heard of this guy until yesterday.

CLASSIC MISHEARD LYRIC #7
"Dancing In The Moonlight"--KING HARVEST (1972) "Dancing in the moonlight/ Everybody's feelin' warm and bright..."  I swear, it sounded to me like they were singing, "Everybody's feelin' a woman right..." which actually sounds like a damn good idea to me...

MONEY CAN'T BUY HAPPINESS
At the risk of sounding like an insensitive clod here, why am I not shocked by Anna Nicole Smith biting the big one today?  Apart from losing one of my favorite punch lines, I can honestly say I am totally unmoved by her death.  This White Trash whore was a member of this species of celebrity that I totally abhor—someone who is famous basically for merely being famous, and little else.  I include the Hilton sisters, Carmen Electra, the Simpson sisters, Carson Daly, Kid Rock, Donald Trump and many others in this same category.  It just astounds me why we make cultural icons out of losers like A.N.S. in our society.  And who didn't see this coming, anyway?  Her downward spiral was even more obvious than Kurt Cobain's was.  And in either case, it's hard for me to care...

PLEASE—I'M BEGGING YOU! NOT ANOTHER ONE...
Speaking of cultural icons that I abhor, talk is rampant about a Borat movie sequel.  The kicker here is that one Rupert Murdoch, aka "Mr. Truth, Justice and the Republican Way" is wanting to give his financial backing to the damn thing.  Can you say "hypocrite"?