As IF Times

link Sideshow: Wholl take Courics CBS anchor chair? | Philadelphia Inquirer | 04/05/2011.

What, are there no hand puppets available?  In this day of computer generated graphics, isn’t it possible to synthesize a cartoon character to read the news?  Although the job probably pays a pittance of only 10 million dollars a year, can’t they find some aspiring model or journalism student to fill the space?  Wouldn’t it be just as effective to have the weather girl on channel 7 read the news?  To be clear, the person is not expected to make the news, only read it aloud on the teleprompter.  Any dummy can do that as we know. Someone has to enlighten us rubes outside of New York city as to why replacing Couric should be that difficult.

In days gone by, a personality like Walter Cronkite was determined to have credibility when he read the news.  He was a familiar face and and even more familiar voice that brought the news of the world to Americans during the all important dinner hour.  Back then, with only 3 major television networks broadcasting, the delivery of what was news was filtered by ABC, NBC and of course CBS.  The veracity of their versions of events were beyond question.   Of course, in those days, The New York Times was a legitimate newspaper.

This grip on information by the major networks has long become a relic of a quainter time.  As the access to information has opened up to all who are willing to look, the importance and even relevance of the major news networks’ version of events have diminished greatly.  Gradually, people could see and think for themselves (well mostly) what was truly happening in the world and opinions often formed which differed from the offerings of the networks.  If CBS had lost Walter Cronkite during the late ’60’s, it would have been a devastating blow since America hung on to uncle Walt’s every word as gospel.  It can be argued that much of how America viewed major issues of the day was shaped by the utterances of uncle Walter.  To his credit, Cronkite seldom betrayed any personal judgement in delivering the news.  It was apparent that he told it, ‘just the way it was’ as his trademark signoff claimed.

When Couric took over the anchor chair, to great fanfare at the time, her background was that of daytime talk show host on another network.   In that role, she often was in the news herself as a personality and celebrity of the New York media scene.  Couric had to transform herself from perky interviewer to somber newscaster.  She never did seem to be able to bring the gravitas and objectivity of news to the public as did her predecessors.  This of course excludes his nutness, Dan Rather, who began the whole demise of the credibility franchise at CBS. But that’s another story.   During the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign, she was widely lauded by the left for her apparently revealing question to Sarah Palin about what she read.  The implication was of course, not what she read, but if she read.   While the mainstream media credited Couric with brilliant reportage, it begs the question of whether that same question would be asked of any male candidate.

From that point on, her fate was sealed.  Most of America saw this somewhat condescending event as confirmation of her lightweight talk show background.  Any pretensions to being a genuine news broadcaster was shattered.  Viewers left in droves from the CBS evening news broadcast.  To be fair, the other national broadcasters also suffered the same collapse in viewership, but not as dramatically as at CBS.   Couric had to go.

Getting back to the original point then, how hard could it be to find someone to read the news?  Once the insular types at the networks peer out of their towers in manhattan, they may figure out that the U.S. extends beyond mid town New York.  But it may be all moot because the franchise on being the gatekeeper for the public’s news consumption is long gone.  It’s now true that some of the most significant stories broken today are not by the big news networks, but by cable or internet based operations.   It’s also true that broadcasters do not offer the balanced analysis offered by other information concerns.  To add insult, The National Enquirer, known to many as a gossip rag, has broken some of the biggest news stories of the day.   It’s as if Charlie Sheen became Walter Cronkite.  Come to think of it, Charlie may be looking for a job….

link Hollywood Outraged Over Pia’s ‘Idol’ Elimination | Access Hollywood – Celebrity News, Photos & Videos.

Normally there would be something seriously wrong if I  happened to agree with the Hollywood glitterati on anything.  Even if I didn’t know the particulars of an issue, it’s a safe bet I and most other rational people would be on the opposite side of them.   In this case, no less than uber lefty Tom Hanks has expressed outrage that the most talented American Idol contestant Pia Toscana was voted off last night’s show.  And I agree with him!  What next? Either he starts collecting guns, or I start driving a Prius.  Both seem unlikely.  But it goes to show how much disbelief there is in the aftermath of Pia’s elimination from a TV show.  We haven’t seen this much horror after a vote since the 2008 U.S. elections.

This incident has galvanized people of all ages, values, and viewpoints to express disbelief and outrage at an apparent gross injustice.   Clearly, all could see the superior talent that was showcased by Pia during her time on the show.  Whether this was just the way the votes rolled or whether it was some diabolical ratings orchestration by the Fox network is not known.  In lesser countries, there would be riots in the cities and perhaps even some be-headings.  Thus far, calm in the streets.

Luckily, our gal Pia has her future secured.  While she did not win the ‘talent contest’, she undoubtedly gained millions of fans who could see and appreciate her abilities and sympathized with her untimely ousting. Ironically her talent and poise contrasted glaringly with the ‘artist’ Iggy Pop who performed just before the final vote was announced.  Here is a guy, who, if he were female would be considered a raving crack ‘ho for the spasmodic screaming which passed for entertainment.   Whoever the eventual winner is, it’s a fair bet they will be forgotten in a short time even as Pia’s career skyrockets.  Just goes to show you, the people aren’t always right.  Or, like many elections, maybe only adults should be allowed to vote.