#38: The man just oooooooooozes awwwwwness

[FromClaygary]

Speaking of Spamalot.......

......here's a cute funny from The Clay Channel....

[ldyjocelyn]

It does make me almost laugh when people mention the shoddy tactics the tabloids use, when I see similar if not worse in what masquerades as mainstream, serious journalism every single day. Usually its a case of part of it's true, and part of it ain't. I've heard many a venerated pundit make fundamental errors about historical events and never correct them because the false premise helps to spin a false conclusion. There's so much of that in the "news" that it's a crying shame. Either they are a bunch of dumb asses who don't know they're wrong, or they're deliberating repeating false information with an agenda. Either way we're screwed.

I was thinking about this, and you know -- there's another side to the coin here as well, in this theory of mine. People magazine frequently comes out with items such as "rumors are Beyonce and Jay-Z got married over the weekend." Usually splashed on the front, somewhat small picture, usually not a huge story. Then, two weeks later -- big cover story, pictures of the wedding, etc. My point? People magazine, while being a gossip rag by nature, can be RIGHT many times. I'm not nearly as sure about TMZ, but I've read stories about them that say almost the same thing. So, for as much that is written in the media today that is simply wrong, there is just as much IMO that is right.

That's why I'm keeping my options open on this story then. Since I know diddly-squat, I'll just wait and see.

Now, as for Clay making a statement...honestly, I'm more expecting Jaymes to make a statement. And she may or may not mention who the father is.

merrieeee, I hope everything goes well for your friend.

I've missed you guys. Work and real life (mother issues) have kept me scattered, stressed and sometimes downright despondent. Work will work itself out; the mother issues are more delicate and potentially devastating, and I haven't been able to be my 'usual smutty, pointless-posting self at all lately. But I wanted to pop in and say "HI!" so you won't forget me...

:thbighug-1: Take care of Mom, but also take care of yourself and the rest of your family as well.

I really hope so. I get disturbed when I see fans chiding Clay for all the mistakes he is making. He deserves the right to live his life as he sees fit. I don't expect Clay or anyone else to tell me how to run my life anytime soon.

Amen, sister Fear!

... let me put it like this..

... in any great adventure.....

Yes, Spamalot is still invading my brain.

BWAH! Mine too. Fortunately, I've got a husband who is MP fan, and who can quote Holy Grail as much as I can.

Morning all!

[Iseeme]

Good morning. Aleve is your friend when you are an old person doing manual labor. Was I the same person that was so excited about getting this job? Day two of four. Feet hurt. Back hurts. Want to sleep in. (but I still love the job!)

People keep mentioning Jaymes is in "good shape!" How on earth do any of you know that? Maybe she is and maybe she isn't - but it's being stated here as a proven fact! Other than seeing her in a couple of pictures in skinny jeans and short heels - who has any clue how Jaymes is! Hopefully she IS in good shape and just counting the days....

I have no Clay content. Just saying hello before I take off for the day.

Scarlett :F_05BL17blowkiss: Your hours remind me of many an occasion! I.T. people just cannot work 9 to 5, can they! Hope you got some rest.

Muski - your photobucket account must be sizzling.......

And just for good measure

Interesting comments about People Mag....I think they take a wild guess at something that has a high potential for being true (Jay Z, Beyonce, etc.) and sometimes they get lucky and it comes to fruition a few weeks later. But any story that uses TMZ or some other seedy group as "a source" is questionable. TMZ is just a shitrag as far as I'm concerned. They're no better than Piggy Hilton.

[Cotton]

G'Morning!

I have to go to work in a few minutes, but I have a real quandary here.

I made sure I have Monday off so I could try for the limited number of "cheap seats" for the Gala.

Now my family has thrown me a curve ball. Literally. My cousin's son (11ish) is playing baseball in Myrtle Beach right across from where I work. Several cousins, my aunt, et al, are going. I mini-family reunion, if you will.

And I want to go.

But demmit I want to go to the Gala, too!

The ball field is an hour away from me. Right when the tix go on sale, the family will either be gathering for lunch or gathering to watch his second game. There's no way in hades I'm going to be able to get to a computer.

I wish you could buy these tix over the phone as well as online.

I think I may cry!

RE: tabloids, etc.

I was finishing my Dennis Lehane novel this morning and this came to me . . .

Up is Down

Black is White

Good Men reviled

as they do what's Right

Diefied demons

given parades

they revel in mire

to grand accolades

Upside down?

Is it too late?

to tip the scale?

to turn back Hate?

Up is Down

Black is White

Images indoctrinate

Day is Night

Illusionists control

the Question is:

How to break

their mesmerizing Hold?

I know.

Dark for the morning, isn't it?

OTH

:013085001176249046:

[Couch Tomato]

I think they get a lot of tips from people that work for the stars, are acquaintences of the stars, and caterers, restaurants, delivery people and the like. Probably why ET was so easily hoodwinked..probably very common for a star's secretary to call them with the annoucement of whatever.

TGIF!

Annabear...you crack me up...I thought I had spam on the brain.

Cotton, hon you can work that one out. You can locate an internet cafe in town so you can get back to the action or find yourself a "buyer" to help you out. Good luck. If neither of those work, family is quite overrated

[ldyjocelyn]

I think my thoughts on TMZ are that their tactics on getting their stories are sleezy as hell, I'll agree to that. (And agree that IIT, and if the story was gotten via someone from the clinic, Clay and/or Jaymes should sue their sorry asses). BUT...unfortunately, they do have a pretty good record. And -- a lot of things that many of us have laughed about, with other celebrities, were broken by TMZ themselves (Mel Gibson's arrest and anti-Jewish tirade, Michael Richard's "comedy act," and a few others). This article, from the NY Times last year, really gives a feeling for what is going on in the celebrity gossip world (I pulled this from my library's newspaper database):

The Web Site Celebrities Fear

New York Times, The (NY) - June 25, 2007

Author: ALLISON HOPE WEINER

Abstract: TMZ .com has become premiere media outlet devoted to celebrities, as it proved again by scooping competition in coverage of Paris Hilton's travails, as well as nightmare for celebrity handlers who prefer to control how public perceives their clients; is visited by approximately nine million people each month and has become reliable source for mainstream media, which have become less self-conscious about reporting every detail of celebrity missteps; represents in some ways a throwback to earlier journalism, when many reporters relied on documents rather than arranged interviews to break celebrity news; photos (M)

While the networks tussled over which would land the first interview with Paris Hilton after her release from jail, the upstart Web site TMZ .com was breaking most of the news.

On June 3, TMZ .com was the only media outlet to capture on video Ms. Hilton's surrender at the Los Angeles central jail for men, while other outlets waited outside the Lynwood women's jail for her to arrive there. When Ms. Hilton was released early by the Los Angeles County Sheriff, Lee Baca, and when Judge Michael T. Sauer ordered the sheriff to take her back to court, TMZ .com was first to report that Sheriff Baca had initially refused to follow the judge's order.

TMZ .com has so dominated the coverage on Ms. Hilton that Larry King, who is scheduled to interview her on CNN Wednesday night, will turn over tonight's one-hour show to TMZ .com's anchor and managing editor, Harvey Levin, the man who may represent the future of celebrity journalism.

In the past, media coverage of celebrities often hinged on the promotional agenda of studios, publicists and other handlers. Under the direction of Mr. Levin, a former lawyer and investigative reporter, and Jim Paratore, an executive consultant to the site, TMZ .com has quickly gained an audience by posting news articles garnered from documents, unofficial videotapes, exclusive paparazzi shots and other sources like law enforcement officials and courthouse clerks. (The name stands for "thirty mile zone," referring to the area around Los Angeles populated by celebrities)

"We work as hard at breaking a Britney Spears story as NBC would work on breaking a President Bush piece," Mr. Levin said.

As a result, TMZ .com has become the celebrity handler's worst nightmare. The site has had a series of damaging celebrity scoops, including the police report detailing Mel Gibson's drunken anti-Semitic tirade, Michael Richards's racist rant in a comedy club, an audiotape of the angry phone message Alec Baldwin left for his daughter and a photograph of Anna Nicole Smith's refrigerator filled with methadone and Slim-Fast.

But TMZ .com's reach extends well beyond the approximately nine million people who visit the Web site each month. The site has become a reliable source for the mainstream media, which has become less self-conscious about reporting every detail of celebrity missteps, according to Hilary Estey McLoughlin, the president of Telepictures Productions, a division of Warner Brothers, which co-owns the TMZ site with AOL. Both Warner Brothers and AOL are divisions of Time Warner.

"There are times, like with the Paris Hilton story, where we've set the agenda for what local news and national news are covering," Ms. Estey McLoughlin said. "Paris Hilton leads every newscast."

Last week, for example, TMZ .com posted excerpts of O.J. Simpson's unpublished book, "If I Did It." Although it wasn't the first Web site to have excerpts, TMZ 's involvement helped make the book again a national story.

Mr. Levin likens the influence of TMZ to a wire service. "We've become like The Associated Press in the world we cover," he said.

That influence has also made him a feared figure in Hollywood. One publicist who declined to speak on the record because of fear of retaliation against his clients likened Mr. Levin's power to that of the 1940s and 1950s gossip columnists like Walter Winchell.

"If you have something you know they will like, you tip them to it," the publicist said. "It's kind of the old way you dealt with the old-time gossip columnists. You have to occasionally feed them an item. You have to be in the game with them. If you're a publicist and the only time you call up is to complain about an item, they'll laugh at you."

Even Hollywood criminal lawyers concede that dealing with TMZ has now become part of their legal strategy. Shawn Chapman Holley, who represents Nicole Richie, acknowledges that TMZ 's ability to get information has affected strategic decisions in Ms. Richie's drunken-driving case.

"When we approach the bench, what we know and when TMZ will know it is a factor discussed with the judge," said Ms. Holley. "Miss Richie's case would be set for a particular day and to throw off TMZ .com, I would go in a day before. Unfortunately, TMZ .com figured out my strategy and were there when I arrived. So now I'm trying to figure out some other strategy."

In some respects, TMZ , which first appeared in December 2005, represented a throwback to earlier journalism, when many reporters relied on documents rather than arranged interviews to break news.

"We had a seminal moment in the first month with the Paris Hilton car crash with her boyfriend," recalled Mr. Paratore. "She was pulled over by police, and we caught the whole thing on camera, and it got picked up a lot. We could see people were really attracted to content like that."

Initially, Mr. Levin was wary of creating a celebrity Web site. He had spent more than a decade as an investigative reporter for KCBS-TV in Los Angeles. He had also created and executive-produced the canceled series "Celebrity Justice" and covered many high-profile trials, including the O. J. Simpson case.

But eventually, he found that the 24-hour news cycle appealed to his competitive metabolism. "I started seeing that if you don't have time periods and publishing cycles, you can publish on demand and beat everybody," said Mr. Levin.

TMZ .com has been ranked the No. 1 Hollywood news site for nine months against well-known brands like Entertainment Weekly's EW.com, People.com and E! Online. Time Warner does not break out revenue figures for TMZ .com, but the site is profitable, according to people familiar with the numbers who did not want to be identified because they are not authorized to speak about the site's finances. Beginning in July, TMZ 's 25 staff members will work out of offices in West Hollywood and one reporter will continue to work from New York.

The Web site's success has drawn criticism not only from the stars it covers, but also from competitors who claim the Web site pays for articles. Mr. Levin argues that the site has never paid for a story, although it does pay for videotapes and photographs.

"We have a budget for that," said Mr. Paratore. "But the budget is nowhere near the numbers being thrown around for the Paris Hilton interview."

Along with turning celebrity stories into dramas that unfold in real time, TMZ has also contributed to the different tone of much entertainment coverage.

"Five years ago there was so much reverence in the discussion," said Janice Min, editor-in-chief of Us Weekly. "I've seen a shift in the tone. It's now equal parts reverence and contempt, and TMZ has been able to capitalize on that contemptuous feeling. TMZ pokes fun at celebrity -- sometimes gentle, sometimes quite harsh -- and to millions of people, that's more engaging than reading a canned interview."

Ms. Min said that she often checks the site and competes with it to break news. "But it's great to have them out there," she said. "It's like going to an all-you-can-eat buffet where you never get full."

Inevitably, however, TMZ comes to rely on a symbiosis with the people it covers.

"We supply them with news all the time because it goes around the world in 12 seconds," said Stan Rosenfield, George Clooney's publicist. "There's a pragmatism that takes hold, because people read it."

Howard Bragman, a publicist who owns the firm Fifteen Minutes, which represents Ricki Lake, Leeza Gibbons and Isaiah Washington, has also found some benefits to dealing with TMZ .

"Compared to many of the other outlets, they're 1,000 percent better. If you have a good relationship with them, they'll change an occasional word or swap an occasional picture, but that's just for friends of the family," he said. "And since it goes around the world in seconds, you can leak something to them without fingerprints and it looks like somebody else did it. I've certainly done that."

Given that TMZ is a part of Time Warner, it would seem that the site's interest in exposing celebrities' bad behavior might conflict with the overall interest of the parent company that employs some of those same stars.

Mr. Paratore counters that the site's relationship to Time Warner and questions that might arise from that relationship were dealt with before TMZ 's introduction.

"Everybody understands what it means to be in this business," he said. "There have always been stories in Time magazine, People and Entertainment Weekly that have not always been flattering to other divisions within the company, and everybody understands that you can't control it and they don't try."

Indeed, in some ways, TMZ is one of the few remnants of the AOL-Time Warner merger that has resulted in some cross-platform success. There are rumors that TMZ is going to open a bureau in Washington, but Mr. Levin dismisses those reports. He is too busy working on the new TMZ syndicated daily television show set to begin on Sept. 10.

I think I know what makes me uncomfortable about all this, and that it basically lumps Clay Aiken with the Lindsay Lohans and Paris Hiltons of the world. Blech. IMO, Clay's not like them at all (he has more talent than either of them in his little finger), but yet that's what's happening. IMO, society needs to change before places like TMZ will stop reporting, and unfortunately, I just don't think that will happen.

[Couch Tomato]

Last week on Nancy Grace, I saw someone from TMZ or similar site, positively crowing becasue he has pictures of Miley Cyrus that someone had stolen from her cellphone. They were photos she probably took of herself and emailed to her boyfriends or friends, whatver. One was of her in the shower but she had on clothes and the other she had just lifted up her shirt and showed a little belly. Yet here was this grown ass man leering and suggesting all forms of titllation about this child and being happy that he was breaking this "story" because well she is a Disney star and he was going to soil her image. And I have to say Nancy Grace made me proud that day. She had him and some other reg representative on their heels that day because she said... if someone makes something dirty out of those pictures then there is something wrong with THEM. And that the person she wants to discuss is the person who stole the pictures from their cell phone. She wanted to know why they weren't in jail. They were both doing the running man backwards trying to act like they cared about EITHER of those two things. I hope they both felt like the trash they are.

Sounds to me Ldy Jocelyn that they have carefully crafted a legal form of blackmail. It's really sickening. Walter Winchell back in the day didn't have the technolgy to do what these people can do.

Cindilu..yeah pretty big differences going on with celebs and non celebs. Privacy is something we kinda take for granted ...wouldn't even know how to live if I had to worry about the raminifcations of each decision being made public - not just made public but spun any way by pefect strangers that may hold no good will towards you at all.

[cindilu2]

As far as it being none of our business, I don't quite understand that. When each of my children were born I was happy to tell the world -- I couldn't wait to have the good news spread to people I had worked with, friends in the neighborhood and friends of the family, just everybody that I thought would care about it -- and not because I thought it was actually any of their business, but because I was bursting with pride and joy. So I think that if it is true, we'll hear about it because Clay will be proud, and not because he owes us the information.

Ahh, but was the choice to tell all those neighbours and friends and family yours? Or were you scooped by your doctor blabbing it all over the neighborhood first - with his own salacious spin on it, perhaps questioning the father's identity, or your own fitness to have that baby? Did you have to consider first that your 'fans' might just shred up the father of your child because he didn't meet their hopes/dreams/expectations for you? Or worse, that he was just using you for his own nefarious scheme? And then when all that was said and done, was it magnified x a billion by the use of the internet?

Comparing our own life-situations to Clay's, to me, is like comparing apples and oh, say, hand grenades. And even his 'celebrity' isn't treated like say, Angelina or even freaking the 16 year old Spears kid.

Any decisions he (they) may have made as to how to handle the announcements were taken out of their hands by a betrayal of some sort, regardless of who it was. I believe whatever decisions they are making now about it, they are making together - nothing else is plausible to me.

And that TMZ article? Makes me throw up in my mouth a little. For reasons over and above the obvious Clay implications.

Edited for spelling. And grammar. D101!!! And to add that IIT, I'm very happy for both of them (and very happy for Jaymes, regardless).

ETA: ldyj, at this point I don't see a difference - before/after. JMO of course.

[ldyjocelyn]

Walter Winchell back in the day didn't have the technolgy to do what these people can do.

BINGO! This kind of gossipy stuff has been around for YEARS -- but it's the rise of technology that, IMO, has made it much more pervasive in our society.

Technology is really a two-edged sword. In so many ways, it's made our lives incredibly easier, and frankly, none of us would be talking here today if not for the rise of computers. At the same time, though, it's also made the rise of misinformation happen so much faster (as in, instantaneous). Think about it -- two different cellcerters, at the same Clay show. What's he wearing? Uh...a tan shirt with a brown striped tie. Wait, it's a brown shirt with a tan striped tie. And then, we get the picture (from a trusty cell phone, about 5 minutes later *g*), and it looks to be a yellow shirt with a grey tie. Silly example, I know...

Anyway...I'm not sure what, if anything, will change this kind of thing. And I usually hate Nancy Grace with a passion, but good for her!

Clay content? Man, is he cute or what?

ETA: Ok, now I do have real Clay content. LBFCA Sweet Sixteen Matchup Two. LAA (Houston) vs. the TITN video.

ETA2: cindi, I can't speak for kf, but I assumed she was talking about making an announcement AFTER the baby was born.

Which brought another thought through my head: assuming Clay is the baby's dad -- what if TMZ HADN'T broken the story, but instead we got an announcement from Clay, after the baby was born, that he was now a Dad. I'm not positive, but I think that might have broken the fandom into even more of a tizzy. But I could have been wrong, and I guess we'll never know. (Besides, I somehow think that some fan, yes fan, would have probably seen Jaymes and tried to put two and two together...followed immediately by that Nancy Drew gene, and fans investigating like crazy. That would have turned me off even more than TMZ...)

[Couch Tomato]

I would preferred the crazy ass fandom dealing with it because it wouldn't be broadcast across the world. The fan thing? I'm used to and it can be ignored. Yeah I'm sure that Jaymes is being torn up one side and down the other somewhere right now but I don't have to deal with it.

What's also bad about TMZ is not only do they broadcast to the world in seconds, it is exponentially delivered as gossip sites, bloggers, and all manner of media picks it up as well and treat it as gospel.

[cindilu2]

I would preferred the crazy ass fandom dealing with it because it wouldn't be broadcast across the world. The fan thing? I'm used to and it can be ignored. Yeah I'm sure that Jaymes is being torn up one side and down the other somewhere right now but I don't have to deal with it.

What's also bad about TMZ is not only do they broadcast to the world in seconds, it is exponentially delivered as gossip sites, bloggers, and all manner of media picks it up as well and treat it as gospel.

I agree couchie, I don't think the fan-reaction is a big part of the equation - but it is another straw on that camel's back when it comes to all things Clay. And this time the ugliness isn't directed just at him, but at someone he cares about. While I don't believe that worries about 'spin' had even one iota of effect on his decision to have the (IIU/IIT) baby with her, I have to believe that his experience with the tabloid media (and sadly, parts of the mainstream media as well) coloured his decisions regarding what/when/how/or whether to disseminate information about it.

[muskifest]

From that article:

Time Warner does not break out revenue figures for TMZ .com, but the site is profitable, according to people familiar with the numbers who did not want to be identified because they are not authorized to speak about the site's finances.

Pot, meet kettle.

This is what it's all about for me. Whether it's TMZ or Time Warner or Newsweek or CBS, information from people 'not authorized to speak about' whatever...just seals the deal for me. It's called 'gossip' and I do it in my real life in some form or another, although I'm not too proud of that.

I just don't expect national news media to rely on that form of information sharing as a way of doing their work, nor do I respect them for it. Nor do I have to support them. Just as I'd hope the people who care about me would give me the benefit of the doubt and wait for me/give me the chance to verify or refute gossip about me before believing it, I'm doing the same for Clay.

People working on the roof this morning meant an early rising (something I'm sure Clay is familiar with )...We're getting our gear together for the weekend trip. TGIF, right? Oh, and laljeterfan gets the prize for pouncing on that juicy smut tidbit I left in my picture post re: packing.

[FromClaygary]

As far as it being none of our business, I don't quite understand that. When each of my children were born I was happy to tell the world -- I couldn't wait to have the good news spread to people I had worked with, friends in the neighborhood and friends of the family, just everybody that I thought would care about it -- and not because I thought it was actually any of their business, but because I was bursting with pride and joy. So I think that if it is true, we'll hear about it because Clay will be proud, and not because he owes us the information.

Ahh, but was the choice to tell all those neighbours and friends and family yours? Or were you scooped by your doctor blabbing it all over the neighborhood first - with his own salacious spin on it, perhaps questioning the father's identity, or your own fitness to have that baby? Did you have to consider first that your 'fans' might just shred up the father of your child because he didn't meet their hopes/dreams/expectations for you? Or worse, that he was just using you for his own nefarious scheme? And then when all that was said and done, was it magnified x a billion by the use of the internet?

Comparing our own life-situations to Clay's, to me, is like comparing apples and oh, say, hand grenades. And even his 'celebrity' isn't treated like say, Angelina or even freaking the 16 year old Spears kid.

Any decisions he (they) may have made as to how to handle the announcements were taken out of their hands by a betrayal of some sort, regardless of who it was. I believe whatever decisions they are making now about it, they are making together - nothing else is plausible to me.

And that TMZ article? Makes me throw up in my mouth a little. For reasons over and above the obvious Clay implications.

Well put!!

[Lotus]

Speaking of Spamalot.......

......here's a cute funny from The Clay Channel....

Yes, cute. I got a good morning laugh from this one..also Where Are You part 2

cindilu2 Comparing our own life-situations to Clay's, to me, is like comparing apples and oh, say, hand grenades.

Exactly.

My DIL just introduced me to Pieces of Flair on Facebook. I discovered that there are 7 pages of Clay Pieces of Flair. Mostly all good but there are a couple of Clay is not gay buttons. I do wish fans could just leave that alone.

I also discovered that while on Facebook it is as easy for an hour to disappear as it is on Clay fan boards.

[FearofH2O]

Iseemee, I mentioned that Jaymes is in good shape. She traveled to New York and back to LA while pregnant, executive produces his cd, manages to keep up her pace with Clay and she is almost or perhaps is in her final month of pregnancy. And doing all this at the age of fifty. I doubt she would have even decided to become pregnant if she did not have a clean bill of health from her doctor. I honestly believe she would not put her unborn child at risk if there were any doubts about her health. It just seems logical to me. Although I wouldn't be surprised if she is on bed rest or at least confined to her home (wherever that might be).

[Couch Tomato]

Well I'm not one who thinks every article should have every source revealed. That just can't happen for a myriad of reasons so I don't necessarily put every bit of media in the same boat. But sources should be vetted and they should be trustworthy and not doing illegal crap themselves (as a clinic selling Jaymes' records would be IF that happened - something we really don't know). The lines are being blurred so much that it is definitely hard to trust anyone though. Wonder how Watergate would have played out in this day and age. But definitely don't know why a secret source is needed to confirm that TMZ makes a profit. Big googly woogly. Time Warner is a public company, I'm sure that answer can be found on their website LOL. It's just laziness pure and simple and proably lack of support since most news dept budgets have been slashed. It breaks my heart to know that in the Bay Area almost all the papers are owned by the same entity. Even the once proud Oakland Tribune is just part of a "franchise" now.

ET: I actually got disenchanted with journalism in journalism school but I was too far along to switch. I've always been such a reader, especially of history with investigative reporters playing a huge and important part in it. It used to be such an honorable profession. Don't get my wrong, there has always been tabloid/yellow journalism, and it always sold big time but there was also those with integrity standing up also. I guess it's still out there but unfortunately they are looked at with suspicion as well.

And since I killed the thread let me just add:

I FREAKIN' HATE YEAR END!!

can somebody post something pretty of clay so I can smile and get back to this long ass account I have to reconcile by Tuesday?

[treenuts]

can somebody post something pretty of clay

Hope this helps, couchie!

[Couch Tomato]

yep :F_05BL17blowkiss:

[playbiller]

Well, watergate would have played out just fine with privacy laws - Deep throat only pointed in the direction, two impeccable sources had to verify any information dug up by investigation - the difference now is that the news budgets are severely cut to pay for super star writers and because af falling revenues. No one vets information as weell; as they did then - go read the president's men again, it was quite clear on how they did the investigation. As far as that TMZ quote that they go after Britney like NBBC goes after the President, - not so much, tey follow Britney musth as TMZ does and they accept press releases for news about the president - investigative reporting on matters that are actually improtant is done only independently and frequently can not get printed.

Nancy Grace is a BIG disgrace - she just randomly declares people guilty and rants onthem, and when they are found innocentl she just never discusses them again - didn't come commit suicide based on how she was attacked by Nancy Grace and it turned out she was innocent as well? I miss Ted Turner undrestanding what news really was, and dispised all these asshoe talking heads on "news" <-read propganda/rumor crap.

nancy Grace will and probably has something nasty to say about Clay and her fans will be cheering her on - I am totally bypassing crap these days and it has seriously affected my Tv watching. I now watch too many crappy reality programs that have no basis in reality.

[aikim]

I don't watch the news anymore at all; I find it all rather depressing...even the newspapers are not really newsworthy...I have read the Chicago Sun-Times for years and it has become increasingly more tabloidish. I honestly cannot think of one newsperson that I trust. Makes me very sad actually.

I very rarely watch network TV because I cannot stand the reality shows and there really isn't anything of much interest, although I do like the comedy line-up on CBS on Monday; Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Two and A Half Men. I usually watch The Food Network and TCM; sometimes HGTV and we have a local station that shows all the old shows from the 60's and 70's.

Sometimes a rerun of The Dick Van Dyke Show is a good thing; sometimes we need that escape to a simpler time (although in reality, the 60's were not that simple)

Kim

[claygirl9131]

I'm, right there with you Kim. There is NOTHING on TV these days. I can keep up with the big news stories from reading the boards. Someone always mentions whatever is making headlines.

If I have control of the TV, it is always on The Food Network. I hear a sexysingerguy is going to be on there next month.....

Only 6 more posts until I graduate from being a dogwalker

[keepingfaith]

I'm too busy to participate much today--yet, but reading the mention of Walter Winchell reminded me that he was for all practical purposes a creation of J. Edgar Hoover. Hoover had the secret files and if he wanted to ruin a celebrity, or bring them to heel, he'd use Winchell to write the gossip piece. Joe McCarthy was another one of Hoover's waterboys, who operated on the government end.

Nancy Grace? I'll never forget that she singlehandedly prosecuted and convicted Richard Ricci of abducting and killing Elizabeth Smart. Oops.

Playbiller, I said detective, not girl sleuth!!! I'm definitely more Sherlock than Nancy!

[Cotton]

Back home from a lo-o-ong FUN (NOT) day at work!

Today - the two oldest women on the staff - me and another gal - were the only two working. No customers today - which is the fun part.

Nope! Today was DEEP CLEANING day! :o

Ack!

I don't even clean my own house!

Imagine cleaning your refrigerator X 6, plus taking all the kitchen stuff off the prep tables and cleaning those, putting everything back, sweeping and mopping the floors and then some!

I'm glad to be home!

Nobody liked my poetic musings from this morning???

[jmh123]

G'Morning!

I have to go to work in a few minutes, but I have a real quandary here.

I made sure I have Monday off so I could try for the limited number of "cheap seats" for the Gala.

Now my family has thrown me a curve ball. Literally. My cousin's son (11ish) is playing baseball in Myrtle Beach right across from where I work. Several cousins, my aunt, et al, are going. I mini-family reunion, if you will.

And I want to go.

But demmit I want to go to the Gala, too!

The ball field is an hour away from me. Right when the tix go on sale, the family will either be gathering for lunch or gathering to watch his second game. There's no way in hades I'm going to be able to get to a computer.

I wish you could buy these tix over the phone as well as online.

I think I may cry!

RE: tabloids, etc.

I was finishing my Dennis Lehane novel this morning and this came to me . . .

Up is Down

Black is White

Good Men reviled

as they do what's Right

Diefied demons

given parades

they revel in mire

to grand accolades

Upside down?

Is it too late?

to tip the scale?

to turn back Hate?

Up is Down

Black is White

Images indoctrinate

Day is Night

Illusionists control

the Question is:

How to break

their mesmerizing Hold?

I know.

Dark for the morning, isn't it?

OTH

:013085001176249046:

I like. Very much. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Did you find someone to buy a ticket for you?

[Cotton]

I like. Very much. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Did you find someone to buy a ticket for you?

Thanks!

Nobody yet.

But I just posted right before I left for work and I just got home a bit ago.

Maybe someone will be able to help me out.

I'm hoping.

I really haven't had much time online this week. I still have painting to do. DH gets in to Raleigh around 9AM tomorrow and has a 3+ hour drive, so I have till around noon to get the room kind of put together.

I'd like to get the grass cut (It's up to my knees just since he cut it a week ago today!!!) before he gets back, too. But I don't know if I'll make it!

I think both the room and the lawn done would be nice surprises for him! I kinda like him!