Big Week in Media News
*UPN and WB merge
NEW YORK—CBS Corp. and Time Warner announced this week that they are merging two of their struggling networks into one. UPN and WB will merge, debuting Tuesday as The CW. Among the shows rumored to survive this merger: America’s Next Top Model, Gilmore Girls, Beauty and the Geek, Reba, Everybody Hates Chris, Smackdown, and Smallville.
=Of course, the shows will also be merging. I’m looking forward to “Everybody Hates Reba.” I’ve been championing that idea for years.
=I just hope they have the courage to weather the protests over “Beauty and the Smackdown.” That has real potential.
*Disney buys Pixar
LOS ANGELES (AP)—The Walt Disney Company said Tuesday it is buying its long time partner Pixar Animation Studios Inc. for $7.4 billion in a deal that could restore Disney’s clout in animation while vaulting Pixar CEO Steve Jobs into a powerful role at the media conglomerate. Jobs, who controls more than half of Pixar’s stock and also heads Apple Computer Inc., will also join Disney’s board.
= Seven little beepers just went off in the diamond mine. The last time someone at Disney bit into an Apple, things didn’t work out so well.
*This just in: David Lee Roth might not be so easy to work with
NEW YORK --According to the New York Daily News, Howard Stern’s replacement in New York, former Van Halen front man David Lee Roth, is “totally out of control and totally out of his league when it comes to producing a radio show.” The show is currently being produced by his manager Matt Sencio. Sencio, like Roth, has absolutely no radio experience.=Who could have possibly seen the potential warning signs here? You have to feel bad for the company.
*Howard Stern is being censored already
NEW YORK—(New York Post) Howard Stern may be coming down with a Sirius case of the bleeps. High-level executives of the satellite broadcaster are developing an internal standards-and-practices document that will set boundaries for Stern and other shock jocks.
=This is the shortest honeymoon since Britney Spears married her childhood pal in Vegas.
=I haven’t heard Howard complaining about this new arrangement. It’s funny what $500 million will do to calm your censorship fears. On the other hand, after the debut of “The David Lee Roth Show” in New York, and “The Rover Show” in Chicago, why do I think that Howard could get a billion dollars from his old company right now if he asked for it?
Other stories in the news this week
*Pamela Anderson rebuked by Kentucky
The star of "Stacked" wrote several letters to the Governor of Kentucky, Ernie Fletcher, protesting the bust of Colonel Sanders on display in the Kentucky Capitol. Anderson was upset because she considers Sanders a symbol of cruelty to chickens. Governor Fletcher denied her request.
=I have to control myself on this story. The star of "Stacked" wants a "Bust" removed of the man who sold chicken "Breasts." To comment would be inappropriate.
*King Tut tickets on sale
CHICAGO--Tickets for the Field Museum's show "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharoahs" went on sale in Chicago on Tuesday. The exhibit is expected to be the biggest draw ever for the museum. It drew nearly a million visitors in Los Angeles.
=Good to see it's coming to town. I didn't want to have to go all the way to Arizona to see his condo made of stona.=That one's for the 40--60 year old crowd who still thinks he was robbed because he didn't win a grammy buried in his jammys.
*George Ryan’s ATM practices
CHICAGO--Former Illinois Governor George Ryan's trial continued this week in a Chicago courtroom. Among the dirty laundry aired...Governor Ryan only made eight ATM withdrawals in ten years, yet he always carried a gigantic wad of cash in his pocket.
=You have to love Illinois politics. We're so subtle here.
=Illinois residents, I have a question for you. Do you still think that the Painted Turtle was the best choice for our new official state reptile?
*Sarcastic Men
(Scripps Howard News Service)--University of Western Ontario psychologist Albert Katz has done a study on the ways each gender uses language to communicate. According to Dr. Katz, men are more sarcastic than women, and are much more likely to use metaphors in their daily conversation.
=What a great study! I smell a Nobel prize.
*The Year of the Dog
CHINA--Sunday is Chinese New Years and begins the year of the dog according to Chinese lunar-calendar astrology. 2006, 1994, 1982, 1970, 1958, 1946, 1932, 1920, and 1908 are all years of the dog. People born in the year of the dog are supposedly more loyal and honest. In China they are considered perfect corporate employees.
=I don't want to say this is a bunch of hooey, but the first corporate crook I looked up, Dennis Kozlowski (1946), was born in a year of the dog.
*Mozart’s birthday
SALZBURG, Austria--Today marks the 250th anniversary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s birth. While Mozart is revered by most musicians and composers (and was the idol of Beethoven), the Chicago Sun-Times published an article about Mozart on New Years Day written by a music critic. The critic said that Mozart was overrated, was nothing but a progenitor of Muzak, and shouldn’t be taken seriously at all.=So true. His music has only lasted 250 years. Let’s wait and see if he can stand the test of time.
*National Compliment Day (Jan 26)
NEW YORK--Yesterday was “National Compliment Day,” a day to concentrate on the positive traits of your friends and loved ones. Everyone was encouraged to compliment people all day.
=Needless to say, this holiday was not observed in Germany.
Reader Response
Regarding Sunday's "Beer" article from Lake Magazine. I asked for help finding the beer endorsed by the Pope.
"I found Stuttgarter Hofbrau at Binny's once. It wasn't in the refrigerated section, it was warm, but they had it a few months ago."
--"W"
Regarding Tuesday's "Suburban Man" (about meeting former Cub Jose Cardenal while shopping for onions.)
"Was it a Vadallia Onion ? A red onion? A yellow Onion ? A white onion? True fans will want to know. What could Jose be making with a yellow onion or a red onion ? Some Cuban delicacy perhaps? Maybe a Cuban Sandwich, commonly known as a cubano?"
--"J"
Rick responds: "It was a red onion."
More about Tuesday's "Suburban Man". I asked for other suburban brushes with greatness. Here are a few of my favorites...
"I met Will & Grace star Sean Hayes at a Burger King once. He ordered a chicken sandwich."
--"P"
"I golfed in a foursome behind former Bears Jim McMahon and Kevin Butler once. Butler has a slice."
--"K"
"I saw Mickey Dolenz at a bookstore in Northbrook. He was looking in the self-help section."
--"R"
Regarding Wednesday's Bald Bonus: Balds in the News
"When I saw that 22 year old bald kid on the news, I told my wife, I bet Rick and Dave use that picture on the blog."
--"B"
"I can't believe that Leif Garrett picture you posted. Yikes. Serves him right for lording that hair over us in the 70s."
--"A"
Bonus Bald Bonus: This week marked the 20th anniversary of the Bears winning the superbowl. I happen to have a picture of Bald Handbook co-author Dave Stern taken on that very day. He may have lived in squalor in those days, but he still had a thick lucious full head of hair.
A.M.I.S.H. Chicago Advertising Update: Another company picks A.M.I.S.H as their advertising agency! For those of you in Milwaukee, if you happen to hear a commercial for "Lightshaves," that's the work of A.M.I.S.H. Chicago Advertising. We're happy to have them aboard (the spots started airing in Milwaukee on Monday). If you or someone you know is interested in hiring the talented staff of A.M.I.S.H Chicago Advertising, please click on www.amishchicago.com, and check out our website.
Remember: Tomorrow's guest blogger is pilot/novelist/mom Kim Strickland
Coming Sunday: "Snow Dome Kings"
If you missed any of the previous "This Week News & Views" and want to read them, check out http://thisweeknewsandviews.blogspot.com
