Friday, May 16, 2003

ITEM! Some summary thoughts on the cultural week that was, before normal blogging resumes:

Jayson Blair and Stephen Glass: Can I just suggest the oddness of the synchronicity here? Blair gets caught with fabricating tons of articles, the Times is hit hard from all across the media for its lapses in allowing him to remain at the paper despite complaints, and yet, at the same time, many of these same publications and outlets are providing free publicity to Glass, already caught for his lies, as he tries to promote his new novel.

It strikes me that a Son of Sam law -- or if not "law", then at least attitude is required here. Neither Glass nor Blair should be allowed to profit off their infamy through their stories. These men committed fraud on their readers. We readers are entitled to restitution. Before Glass made a time off his book deal, every New Republic reader should've received a dollar or two as compensation for the time that was stolen from us.

Meanwhile, that Jayson Blair committed fraud does not mean that all attempts to ensure newsroom diversity are misguided. A good newsroom is one that understands the issues affecting all its readers, both existing and potential. Blair's journalistic crimes impugn all diversity efforts only as much as wayward college football player taints all intercollegiate athletics.

It's hard to screen for integrity in advance. But when a fabricator has been caught, cast him out of decent society. Pay him no more attention than the man who has stolen from a bank, for he has stolen from his employer and all his readers. Ignore him.

Survivor 6 (and the impending all-star Survivor 8): Wow. Great season. Great final episode. Seasons like this one make me want to see more of the unaired footage afterwards, all the conversations and plotting we didn't see because it would have given too much away.

As far as Survivor 8 is concerned, I'm excited. I'll post my wish list later on.

The Center City Bicycling Groper: Is anyone else blogging about this local story? I only mention this because of Jen's dream headline for the guy: Philadelphia: The City That Loves Your Backside.

American Idol: Well, I called it back when ten remained:
Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard will be the last two men standing.

As I predicted, none of the flawed women ended up in the finals. Yawn. I can't diss Clay more than I already have -- he's so Broadway, not pop, but he's going to win because he's white, and so is the majority of the teenyboppers calling in. If they haven't seen through his smarmy crap yet, they won't on Tuesday. Like Kelly Clarkson, he has never been in the bottom three, and won't lose the finals, regardless of merit.

If there is a room in pop for Clay Aiken, it's as the leading interpreter of Jim Steinman's songs. The wordy, melodramatic bombast is right up his alley.

(Go Ruben!)

Man, I feel old: It's not just being a parent. It's that Terrence Trent D'Arby (excuse me, "Sananda Maitreya") and Arrested Development are playing club shows in town in the next few weeks.

Shit. Does this mean that my long-anticipated Jesus Jones/EMF comeback tour is no longer far away at all? Are Soul Asylum, Seal, 3rd Bass and Color Me Badd just waiting for the phone to ring?

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