As Count Floyd Would Say... "Scareeey, Kids"!

It IS scary out here in the world of wanna-be-a-journalist-again! Retired (bought out) Washington Post editor Leonard Downie told an interviewer in this blog that things in the newspaper biz are just as bad as they are in radio...

He called the newsprint business "a cartel more efficient than the oil cartel," said there are newspaper companies that will disappear, leaving several cities without papers "this year" and that the newspaper business is "on its knees", unclear "whether or not it's going to continue" (but the Post will, maybe because they have a non-journalism business, Kaplan, that's making money.)

This establishment press Brahmin also believes "anyone can be a journalist" and compares bloggers with the printers in the American colonies, "providing journalism that's sometimes reliable, sometimes not. They're the original bloggers." But he doesn't like the phrase "citizen journalism." He thinks it's just one of those "faddish phrases" from the web world.

We are a "hide-bound, tradition-oriented profession," says the guy whose newspaper is a big part of that tradition. "We have to open ourselves up to all the possibilities, or we're going to die."

Len is spending the next year on a mission from Columbia University "to see if there are any models that look promising" in terms of paying and supporting a future for journalism. "Right now I just don't know."

My good friend and millennial, Jen Richer, is a cockeyed optimist. She sees a world where journalism does have a future... that the cream of the current crop of bloggers and hanging-on traditional journalists will rise from the ashes and form the next wave of journalism. Jen may very well be right about this, because frankly, her brain is wired for this coming generation, and frankly because she's spent much more time thinking about it than I have!

To me, I worry that opening the world to let everyone be "citizen" journalists through blogging means that no one is really a journalist. I'll admit that I don't know what the "next" business model will look like, but I'm still convinced that with so many bloggers in the work force competing for the same opportunities, salaries for journalists are going to plummet - and so is the quality of journalism.

Here's hoping Len Downie does find a workable, profitable model for journalism out there - one that pays a livable wage!

Bend It Like Beckham? GO GET BENT!

I don't know why this pisses me off. It just does.

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) - David Beckham wants to leave the Los Angeles Galaxy and stay with AC Milan after his loan to the Italian club is scheduled to end next month.
The 33-year-old English midfielder announced his intentions Wednesday after playing in Milan's 2-2 exhibition tie at Glasgow Rangers. His three-month loan is due to end March 8.
"At the moment my lawyers are not talking to the Galaxy," Beckham said. "But I have expressed my desire to stay at AC Milan now, and it's just down to Milan and Galaxy to come to an agreement."
"I have enjoyed my time here," he added. "I knew I would enjoy it but I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I have and do as well as I have."
Beckham is about two years into a $32.5 million, five-year contract with Major League Soccer. The Galaxy had no immediate comment.
"To be given the chance again to play at this level at my age is pretty incredible and I've enjoyed it so much I would like to continue it," he said. "I think people have seen the way I've been since playing at this level again."
"It's nothing against the MLS and the football over there because it's a game that will grow, but it will take quite a few years," he added. "I'm still confident that will happen eventually, but I want to have a chance of being involved (in the World Cup) in 2010 and I believe my best chance of doing so is to remain here."

David Beckham was brought into the Major Soccer League in order to raise the profile of soccer in the U.S., and he was given a TON of money to do so. He is the biggest star in his sport in the world, and he was given center stage in Los Angeles to do his thing.

The only problem is that while Beckham was eager to raise his profile and cash his checks, he was never particularly motivated to actually play soccer. I personally don't give a damn about the game, myself. But for Beckham to sign on for an uphill battle and then quit when he realizes his star power is probably not up the task - or that it is at least harder than he thought it would be - it just sucks.

It also speaks volumes about the man. America may or may not need soccer. But it definitely doesn't need David Beckham.

Hump Day Stuff!

I have a few odds and ends to discuss today... My schedule is a little whack because I'm working the full week, which really screws with my routine of writing for free! Therefore, just a few quick thoughts...

• It's a good thing President Obama banked a whole lot of positive love during the inauguration, because he's looking positively human this week! Obama is taking his punishment for picking top job nominees with shady tax problems like a man, but when he says "I screwed up", he's not merely falling on a sword. This mess IS his mess.


• Loudoun County is spending 250, 000 dollars over two years for the right to call itself the official home of the Washington Redskins. I love the Redskins, but if I lived in Loudoun, I'd be calling my lawmakers and demanding an eviction! Nothing against the team... but do you really think any local jurisdiction has that kind of $$$ to throw around these days?


• I gotta figure out a way to get a Metro to give ME money! Read this:

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Justice Department has settled a lawsuit accusing Washington's transit agency of religious discrimination.

The complaint filed in federal court accused Metro of discriminating against a woman of the Apostolic Pentecostal faith because she was unable to comply with Metro's uniform policy.

Gloria Jones said she wasn't hired as a bus driver because her religious beliefs prohibit her from wearing pants, which are part of the uniform.The Justice Department announced Tuesday that Metro has agreed to pay more than $47,000 to Jones and $2,500 each to two others who say Metro didn't accommodate their beliefs.

• And finally, Wells Fargo Bank has reluctantly cancelled a 12-night junket for its top employees in Las Vegas after lawmakers on Capitol Hill howled to the moon about it. Wells Fargo lost 2.3 billion dollars in the last quarter, but the funniest thing to me is that the bank tried initially to KEEP the trip. "Recognition events are still part of our culture," spokeswoman Melissa Murray said Tuesday afternoon. "It's really important that our team members are still valued and recognized."In previous years, top Wells Fargo loan officers were treated to performances by Cher, Jay Leno and Huey Lewis. One year, the company provided fortune tellers and offered camel rides, said Debra Rickard, a former Wells Fargo mortgage employee from Colorado who attended the events regularly until she left the company in 2004. Every night when employees returned to their rooms, there was a new gift on their pillows, she said. "I was amazed with just how lavish it was," Rickard said. "We stayed in top hotels, the entertainment was just unbelievable, and there were awards - you got plaques or trophies." Kevin Waetke, another spokesman for Wells Fargo, said the Las Vegas trip provided a "unique opportunity" for employees of Wells Fargo and newly acquired bank Wachovia Corp. "to focus on continuing to do all we can for U.S. homeowners."

I have an idea. I think I'm going to sue my Dad for failing to push me into the banking business when I was a child. How the heck did I miss out on this? Dad - expect to hear from my lawyer!

Paul Harvey Has A Bong, Too!

With everything in the news and on my blog recently about Olympics star Michael Phelps smoking a bong, it reminded me of a cleverly edited comedy bit that someone else put together - an ad in which legendary radio broadcaster Paul Harvey advertises a bong. If you are familiar with Mr. Harvey's work, I hope you will find this amusing. Mr Harvey's distinct delivery has made him a friendly target among people who like to edit audio for fun for decades...

And now... Paul Harvey News!

Obama Waxing Nostalgic!

For those of you who stopped watching SNL after the election... Here's a reminder of why the show still merits a spot on your TiVo!

The Woulda Coulda Shoulda Bowl

Before I offer my take on the Super Bowl, just one quick note about my previous entry concerning master stroker toker Michael Phelps... OK - He has fessed up to smoking the bong. Good. Confession is good for the soul. Having said that, I still don't think this is going to harm him beyond a little silly embarrassment. Phelps is still going to be one of the biggest stories of the 2012 Olympics. Do you really think his sponsors now are going to want to miss out on that payday? Dump Phelps at your peril! This will still be a non-story.


Now - Onto the Super Bowl - or as I like to think of it, the less-than-Super Bowl! I know that goes against the conventional wisdom, but this puppy was fraught with mistakes! I WILL grant you it was very exciting - it was, however, also very sloppy...



Perhaps I'm a little grumpy because I shoulda won my pool not once, but twice... but weird football took over and screwed me! I was playing in the Bernstein pool - one of those standard 100-square pools where everyone gets numbers to follow at random. I bought six squares, and five of them were dogs. But the sixth box was Cardinals 4, Steelers 0. At the end of the first half, the Cards were driving for a touchdown, and a score at the end of the half would have made it Arizona 14, Pittsburgh 10. I'd have won a hundred bucks! But no! The Steelers' James Harrison picks off the ball and returns it for a touchdown on the last play of the half!



Fast forward to the 4th quarter. Ben Roethlisberger fires a 20-yard bullet from his own end zone to complete a pass with less than 4 minutes left, giving the Steelers first down with a 20 - 14 lead. If that play stands and the Steelers run out the clock, I win a hundred bucks. But no! The Steelers are called for holding in the end zone, and it's a safety for the Cards instead!



Aside from my bad luck grumpness, here's what I saw:

• This wasn't the Super Bowl - it was the Penalty Bowl! There were so many yellow flags on the field, I thought some of the fans' Terrible towels had blown away! It's tough to see a game - even one as exciting as this - to be decided by the zebras...


• Was there anything else the NFL could have thrown out there? The only thing missing were the Obamas... Faith Hill... Jennifer Hudson... Bruce Springsteen... and the crew of the US Airways jet... It was a who's who of who's been in the news lately!


• The best ad I saw was the Doritos ad with the crystal ball... And ad that ends with a guy getting it in the cojones will make me laugh!


• The biggest letdown ad was the one for Monsters vs. Aliens... There were at least 20 of us sitting there watching with our stupid 3-D glasses on, and one of the kids calls out "When are they going to do the 3-D effects"? The effects were there, but they didn't amount to much.


• I really enjoyed Springsteen, but it's clear the Boss isn't used to doing 12-minute sets without an applause break. After he crashed into the camera at the end of "10th Avenue Freezeout", Bruce was so out of breath, he didn't catch himself until the middle of the last song!

Otherwise, the food was good... The company was good... and the Cardinals didn't win - just as God intended it to be!

Phelps Wins (Acapulco) Gold!

This is allegedly a picture of Michael Phelps - the greatest Olympic swimmer of all time - sucking on a bong in South Carolina last fall... An outfit called "News Of The World" has posted this with a long article detailing Phelps' drug use on its website. Well, "detailing" is probably too strong of a word, considering it's filled with the typical "sources say" and "friends tell us". In any case, you can read the article here. I find this whole article to be pretty hilarious on several fronts...

First of all - How do we know this really IS Michael Phelps? We're getting a picture of a guy who is in profile - Slightly less than profile , in fact. You could photograph half of the dark-haired college students in America and come up with a shot that looks just like this.

Second - So what if it is Michael Phelps and so what if he is smoking pot? I highly doubt you're ever going to get an admission of it from him or his agents. The guy is worth a hundred million dollars in endorsements, and he's never going to get caught with a positive dope test. He's been handled way too well for that to ever happen. The whole world knew Phelps was going to take a break from training after Beijing, and in fact, he just went back to the pool a couple of weeks ago to start his preparations for 2012. If he got high a few times during his break - and again - it's not going to be proved that he did - you don't think the world will forgive him?

Third - The article claims that Phelps' reps offered to make Phelps a columnist for "News Of The World" for three years if they would keep the story from going to print... Yeah - I can see it now... Phelps' brands ... Visa... McDonald's... Kelloggs... News Of The World.

If you are tempted to get on your moral high horse about Michael Phelps, be my guest. But we live in a world now where people tend to believe what they see on the internet. Who needs verification of anything? I receive urban legends in my email constantly - sent to me by well-meaning friends and relatives who don't even take two minutes to investigate and determine that the story they are sending me is total b.s.

I would bet in this star-crazy world that if it was proved Michael Phelps is a stroker AND a toker, it would only stoke marijuana sales. Do we really want to push that? Until he Nicole Simpsons someone, Phelps is pretty much a Teflon guy, don't you think?

I highly doubt if Phelps "only" wins 4 or 5 golds in London that people are going to look back on this day and say it was the Pot that made Phelps go to pot.