Romney Wins Michigan …

Today’s Buzz ...
Could the “call” have been made any sooner last night? Seriously – I don’t think that even 60 seconds had transpired at the top of the hour after the polls closed when Wolf made the announcement. And I thought last week’s call was fairly quick – YIKES!




There really aren’t a lot of ‘in-depth’ comments about last night’s coverage – not that it wasn’t good and mostly enjoyable (as political primary coverage goes), but with the GOP race called so quickly, and Hillary running against someone called “uncommitted” (I’m kidding) – there really wasn’t all that much to discuss. But a few observations:

Technological wizardry as desk art: Can we assume that the ‘floating’ pizza pie chart has been at least temporarily retired? It sat on the desk in front of John King, Gloria Borger and Jeff Toobin for the entire night.



Beck vs. Martin: When I hear Glenn Beck talk about unification and “one America” – I’m almost convinced to check out his program on Headline News. Remember I said almost ... but the pairing of Glenn Beck and Roland Martin last night for analysis was entertaining (in a ‘political’ way) and possibly made you think along different angles – perhaps not necessarily agreeing with one or the other – but it’s good to stretch the brain cells occasionally. I must say, though, that I agree with Roland Martin’s assessment of DNC Chairman Howard Dean’s indifference during the recent potentially destructive Dem ‘dust-up’.



Dems Debate: While Michigan was in focus for the Republicans, the Democrats held a debate in Nevada last night. David Gergen and Candy Crowley gave post-debate reports on the outcome. I kept switching back & forth to MSNBC for awhile until I realized that, for the most part, it was some form of ‘love fest’ – as Anderson described it - or perhaps a ‘temporary reconciliation fest’ – which at least allowed for focused discussion on issues, policies, philosophies, etc. – a welcome change from truly petty accusations flying back & forth. Again, I say that if the Democratic candidates think that any pre-nomination attack is unfair – wait until the GOP sinks their teeth into the fray come September ...



Speaking of Dems – and this “uncommitted” Clinton opponent: I guess it’s just me, but when you’re running literally unopposed, and you can only manage 55% of your party’s vote in a state, there’s a message there – not sure if it’s one that the Clinton camp has time to pay attention to, but it struck me as troubling – for them - from a general election perspective ...



News Bulletins: Gary Tuchman handled the 360° Bulletins last night – from Los Angeles! He’s in the area to work on a story for the AC360° special this coming Monday night - after the South Carolina Democratic Debate – “Race and Politics”. Gary is focusing on race and “immigration” politics – we’re looking forward to it and the entire hour!




Other News & Notes:

Poor Bill Maher: Because guests aren’t being announced ahead of time, I only caught his appearance on The Tonight Show last night by accident! But when I heard that Carrie Ann Inaba & Bruno Tonioli ('Dance Wars', 'Dancing With The Stars') were also guests, I knew that Bill was in trouble, and I was right! Bruno managed to ‘paw’ Bill until he almost begged for ‘cover’ from Jay. Not sure if it was ‘set up’ that way or not, but it was very funny nonetheless. And since NBC is now offering free videos, you can check it out here!



And to finish up with Part 3 of the screen caps from the World News Now “serenade” video, here they are:









Thanks very much for visiting - updates posted as needed - have a wonderful Wednesday!!

Quick Monday Morning Updates …

Today’s Buzz (Part 1) ...

Not only will The Daily Show and The Colbert Report be returning tonight (sans writing staffs), but TCR will have Andrew Sullivan as the guest. That should be interesting ... in a good way ...



Also tonight – Kathy Griffin will be a guest on “Live with Jimmy Kimmel” – wonder if she’ll work in her new “I spent New Year’s Eve with Anderson Cooper” line into her appearance ...




Boy, Mike Huckabee knows how to “work” those late night talk show appearances – last Wednesday, he was on The Tonight Show on the eve of the Iowa Caucuses, and tonight he’s on The Late Show – on the eve of the New Hampshire Primary. Sorry Governor – hope you’re not expecting the same post-appearance political result ...



I forgot that Bill Maher’s return to Real Time on Friday would mean that both the monologue and “New Rules” segments would be on hiatus until the writers’ strike is settled. This week’s guests (so far) are Ben Affleck, George Carlin and Tom Brokaw. If they’re the panelists, I hope they’re prepared to talk - a lot. Bill is scheduled to be a Larry King Live guest – I thought it would be this week, but it looks like sometime next week at this point.



I’m a little surprised that AC360° hasn’t really covered much of the escalating violence and refugee displacement in Kenya due to election opposition. This has been going on for many days now, and I think there’s only been a mention or two in the news bulletins.



I’m also following the surfacing of reports today about the ‘provocation’ of US ships in international waters over the weekend by Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats. No shots were fired (thankfully), but it’s moments like this when I wish we would have the steady ‘hand’ of someone like Joe Biden in a very high place, rather than the trigger-happy Darth Vader and the Texas Cowboy, who are praying (figuratively) for a reason to start bombing Iran. We’ll see if this has any effect in tomorrow’s voting, perhaps?



Thanks so much for visiting - updates posted as needed - hopefully including reviews this evening ~ post-AC360°, TDS and TCR!!

Weekend wrap-up ….

Today's Buzz ...
I intended to write yesterday, but my company, in its infinite wisdom, had scheduled a “post-holiday extravaganza” for last night, and being on the organizing committee meant that yesterday ended up being a blur of non-stop activity. And today became the moment of “recovery”. I’m sure you understand … ;-)

I’m listening to the Democratic Debate on satellite radio as I write and am very thankful that I have the opportunity to do so – I'd rather not miss any of them from now on. I’ll have more on the debate in a moment, but I would like to make one (probably) minor comment about the criticism I’ve been reading from the ‘writers’ who are comparing Anderson’s ‘moderating’ of the YouTube Debates unfavorably to Charlie Gibson’s ‘moderating’ last night. While I enjoy Charlie’s ‘style’, isn’t that comparing apples to oranges? The debate structure themselves encompassed two totally different delivery platforms – which necessitates different moderation styles. I doubt that Charlie could have ‘navigated’ a YouTube Debate format as well as Anderson did. That doesn’t make him a less competent moderator. One additional point to add – the fewer candidates on the stage naturally allows for more time for each candidate to make his/her positions clearer. As for Anderson – or Wolf – or whoever – being ‘tougher’ on the candidates, the first thing I’d like to suggest is that once a candidate gets ‘sidetracked’ when asked a very specific question – which happens just about every single time – the moderator calls them on their ‘spin’ and forces them to stay on subject of the question. That would be a very welcome change. Oh – and I’ve got to curb this overwhelming urge I seem to have developed to throw something at the TV whenever I hear Hillary Clinton use the phrases “35 years of experience” or “ready on day one”. It’s getting tough to resist. Moving on ...

The Republicans are portrayed (by the Democrats) as the ‘party of fear’. And I do agree – both in the literal sense, as well as in a more abstract sense. Listening to the GOP Debate earlier convinced me that I am all the more fearful that one of these delusional politicians may be elected and will, in spite of what they say, continue most, if not all, of the Bush domestic and foreign policies. Bush blatantly lied about so many things during his initial campaign and then has hidden behind and misused the 9/11 attacks as justification for all of his successes at eroding the Constitution – what makes anyone think that it wouldn’t happen again? Now there’s a debate question (in another phrasing) that should be asked!! In fact – if I were told that my singular vote would ensure a GOP victory and I could have any amount of money on the face of the earth to do so, I promise, right here in writing, that I would not and could not do it. That is how worried I am of the continuance down the path that this country is currently headed on.

Just a few quick additional debate observations – not many people really like Mitt Romney, huh? Certainly not his fellow ‘stage’ mates ... can’t say that I blame them all that much. And how much more condescending could the Hill have been with her sarcastic response to being told that she isn’t as ‘likeable’ as Obama?

Overall, I seemed to agree with the summary of the analysis I’ve read – Clinton didn’t gain any ground, Obama performed better than in previous debates, Edwards didn’t successfully differentiate his ‘change’ message from Obama’s, Huckabee didn’t make any major gaffes, McCain solidified his positions and Romney was overwhelmingly the night’s piñata.

Going back to Friday’s broadcast of AC360° for a few moments – there was good analysis of what the leading contenders have to do now that the political ‘party’ has moved to New Hampshire. Except possibly Jeff Toobin - I'm not sure that political analysis is his strength? But with that said - the rhetoric is heating up, the attacks are becoming more personal – and that’s sad. Although I’m hoping that the initial message out of Iowa – that money doesn’t ultimately buy votes – and that ‘going negative’ doesn’t garner support – continues to "play" throughout the rest of the campaign, well into this coming November and even beyond.



I also enjoyed Tom Foreman’s “digging deeper” into the statistics that led to the Obama and Huckabee victories in Iowa.



Wasn’t Anderson’s reaction to the Amy Fisher “sex tape” story amusing? It was my reaction as well and, as was suggested over at the AC360° Yahoo group, the story might have been more appropriate for inclusion as a “What Were They Thinking?” segment:



We also had the first “audition” for the AC360° “announcer” try-outs; none other than the ‘Prince of Darkness’ himself – Ozzy Osbourne!! I think it was quite amusing – and not at all serious – but lots of fun nonetheless! I still vote for Kevin, but I am, of course, biased on this issue! :-)





And I would rarely, if ever, write a single word on this blog about Britney Spears, but I would like to say that I hope she seeks the kind of intensive, long-term physical and mental treatment that she so obviously and desperately needs. For her children’s sake, as well as her own. I’d rather not be commenting about her premature demise.



The story about the window washer, Alcides Moreno, who fell 47 stories and survived - made me happy – for Mr. Moreno and his family – but I was also momentarily sad, wondering if Anderson was thinking about Carter during the story; I know I was certainly wondering about the possibility of him having survived. But I subscribe to the belief that everything happens for a reason, many times unknown to us for the duration of our time on earth, but still for a reason. And I'll leave it at that.



A couple of other “late-breaking” notes to start the week out, since most of you won’t read this until Monday:

Obama “surges” past the Hill: Barack Obama, according to Sunday’s CNN/WMUR poll, has taken a 10% lead in New Hampshire. Also – Mike Huckabee has moved into third place on the GOP side – ahead of Rudy Giuliani. Interesting.

Vick sentence may be shortened: Yes, you read that correctly. Possibly from 23 to 12 months - if he completes a soon-to-be-started drug rehabilitation program offered only at the Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary. Infuriating.

A quick note about listening to CNN TV: This is for the times when you’re not able to sit in front of a TV. I’ve commented before that many times, I listen to CNN TV on satellite radio – it’s actually one of the main reasons I started listening to satellite radio in the first place. But I recently found out that if you would like to hear the CNN TV broadcast without that kind of equipment – you can listen on your computer via a link available on the CNN.com homepage. That’s terrific news! And it’s not the CNN Radio broadcast or the CNN Live feed – it’s the audio portion of the actual TV broadcast. So if you’re somewhere where you have PC access, but not TV access, during AC360° (for example) – you can still (at least) hear the program. Exhilarating.

The return of ‘masterful’ snark: Let’s hope so. The Daily Show and The Colbert Report return tomorrow night. We’ll see how ‘nuanced’ the material continues to be – I have faith!! Crossing my fingers.

‘Real Time’ irony: Bill Maher got “frisked” at LAX on his return from NYC, I believe this past Friday. He must be on Homeland Security’s “Pot Watch” list. The irony, of course, is all the times he’s ranted about how airport security is a joke and hasn’t made flying any safer!!! I assume we’ll hear about this on his first show back this coming Friday (1/11/08). Hilarious.

(photo courtesy of TMZ.com)

Late breaking News: According to what John King just announced (after the debate repeats), Anderson will be broadcasting from New Hampshire on Monday evening!

I wouldn’t normally do this, but I just want to say a special ‘hello’ to Judy - and I hope you’re continuing to recover and get well. :-)

I’m closing with a final thought for now – all the political rhetoric this past weekend got me to thinking about one of the words currently being tossed around quite liberally right now - and the word is "hope". It would be easy to copy & paste a dictionary meaning as a springboard, but I am influenced by an astute journalist who once said that “hope is not a plan”. Very true. But I’ll turn that just a bit sideways and add my own (brief) take on the subject:

“Hope is inspired, not commanded”
(photo courtesy of AOL)

Thank you for visiting - updates posted as needed - have a terrific Monday!

For a Sunday evening ….

I haven’t written yet about Friday night’s AC360°, partly because the underlying theme, unplanned as I’m sure it was, was violence. And frankly, I have trouble saying much about it other than to echo the disgust that civilized human beings feel when others are murdered, raped, beaten, repressed, silenced, etc., etc.

I know that, unfortunately, there will be other times when this is appropriate to say, but I am comforted only in the thought that a sub-human like Chester Arthur Stiles will be judged accordingly in terms of eternity. There is insufficient punishment for him here on Earth. Enough said ...

On to other topics ... I applaud Jayann and Dave Sepich for their tireless efforts to pass “Katie’s Law” in all 50 states, in honor of their daughter, Katie Sepich. The law would mandate that a DNA sample be collected from suspects arrested for violent crimes. Not doing this almost seems like a “crime” in and of itself. And if the individual is cleared, purge the information – after it’s been cross-checked for matches with any other crimes. How much intelligence does it take to figure out that simple of a crime-fighting technique?



It’s sad to hear about the receding of the Great Lakes – especially after having lived near the shoreline of one of them for a few years. Another symptom – however minor it may seem – in the growing list of changes taking place due to global warming.



But Friday’s program ended with a not-so-serious subject – inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records – by someone running through as many plate glass window panes in a one-minute time span as possible. Say what?? Do you really want to keep risking the condition of your skull, spine, vertebrae, and other body parts to have your name appear in a book for some wild stunt that another lunatic will top in an alarmingly short period of time? I guess so ...



And one small “OT” note – if you have HBO, please watch (at least) the first 15 minutes of this week’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” – no, not for the monologue (although this week’s was pretty good) – but for the interview that Bill does with filmmaker Ken Burns. Ken’s latest documentary, “The War”, debuted on PBS this past week and will join his other films as a true classic. But it’s his understated, yet incisive and direct, comments about our current war - and other political topics – that shouldn’t be missed.

That’s it for now – if time permits, I’ll write more tomorrow about some other topics that are “on the radar”, as they say ...