Campbell Brown's Legs could have been CNN's Ratings Cure

Campbell Brown on NBC's Saturday Today Show 

Sadly, Campbell Brown, who CNN fought to pull away from NBC two years ago, quit her show due to low and dropping ratings.

Campbell Brown, or "Cammy" as my friend and hers Michael Dowling likes to call her, was consider a catch for CNN at the time.

But, as I blogged in 2008, CNN wasn't using Brown's real asset and it's something Fox News would have done and NBC did do. Campbell Brown's legs would have been the best CNN ratings cure.

This is a problem that started back in 2008, with CNN getting clobbered by Fox News in the ratings even then, and that was the 2008 election. This is what I wrote at Zennie62, then:

As it stands, CNN's getting clobbered by Fox News in the ratings, except for when CNN has debates and it's Super Tuesday coverage, but other than that, it's Fox all the way. ...Now, I personally don't like CNN's biased reporting, covered by the "idea" that they're the best political reporting team and all that crap, but if Dave Bohrman and the rest of the CNN producers get their act together they're on to something.

I think a good place to start is with Campbell Brown....

I mean have you seen her legs?

Some readers got angry with my assertion at the time, but I pressed the point.  Fox News was getting away with that strategy, mixing sexy female anchors with an edgy, opinionated take on the news.   CNN resisted my claim, and also failed to emphasize the iReport format, but that's another blog post.

Now CNN's ratings slide is worse and Campbell Brown's gone.

Is it sad that Campbell Brown's legs may have saved her show? Yeah, it is. But the bottom line in television is viewers, time, and money. The key to success is to make people stop and watch for whatever reason. High-minded views on news and society are fine if they work; in this case they don't. CNN has to give people something to talk about: Men to look at and women to criticize. That's the game and CNN's not playing it.

CNN's under the impression it has to be conservative like Fox News. Not so. That's got nothing to do with it. Sex sells and people are animals. Period. The main driver of the reproductive process is attraction; it's silly to watch some try to take that fact out of society. No one ever wins by fighting nature. CNN should stop trying.

But hey, I made this case two years ago and CNN didn't get it then. Now, Campbell Brown's gone.

Tea Party Movement and GOP lost to Liberals and Democrats

Media pundits at CNN and Fox News are painting Tuesday's election results as a win for the Tea Party Movement. Nothing could be further from the truth. The real truth is the Liberal Agenda won.

Obama's people rise again!

In Pennsylvania Conservative Arlen Specter switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party last year to change with his state's demographics and as part of a deal with the Obama White House. In that agreement the White House pledged their support for the fake-Democrat.

The White House could not lose: if Specter lost it would be to a Democrat, and if he won it would be as a Democrat. Specter lost to Congressman Joe Sestak.

It was a sad but not shocking loss for Specter, the long-serving Senator who's career spans 45 years, covers nine presidents, and some of the most incredible political events in the history of America, from The Watergate Hearings and President Nixon's Impeachment to Obama's election as the first African American President in American History.

This blogger has always admired Specter's keen intellect which reached beyond party at times, but Specter was always a conservative. When Specter became a Democrat it was right for Liberals to be concerned that he might undermine the President's agenda. While there were points during the health care debate where that seemed like it would happen, Specter did fall in line. Still, it was time for a more solid Democrat to take Specter's place and for Specter to retire. His gamble wasn't the smartest one and it was the riskiest. Specter lost.

Another GOP to bite the dust was Republican Tim Burns in his Pennsylvania Special Election Contest against Democrat Mark Critz and to fill the House seat of the late Rep. John Murtha. Critz, the Director of Economic Development for Murtha, best knew Murtha's people and promised to continue his work in Washington.

In Kentucky, Rand Paul was the only GOP candidate to win and that was because he beat another Republican in that state's GOP Senate Primary. The Tea Party Movement's getting credit for a win that only really happened because of Rand Paul's built-in name recognition from being the son of Rep. and former Presidential Candidate Ron Paul. The Tea Party Movement was not the player in the win some think.

Indeed, the Tea Party Movement has lost more elections and legislation battles than it won and by a lot: Heath Care Reform, The Jobs Bill, The 23rd Congressional District Race of New York, The 19th Congressional District Race of Florida that was Robert Wexler's seat, all were won by the Democrats and all were mentioned as having Tea Party Movement involvement. And Massachusetts GOP Senator Scott Brown won that state's race to replace the Late Senator Ted Kennedy by shunning the Tea Party Movement.

What has the Tea Party Movement done? Nothing except take up a lot of TV air time.

In all Liberals had the big night. Arkansas Democratic Senator Blanche Lincoln, who also famously worked as if she didn't know President Obama, suffered a near-loss to Lt. Gov. Bill Halter, who had the support of labor union heads who didn't forget her difficult-to-deal-with stance on Health Care Reform. Lincoln now faces a runoff against Halter and it's one she could lose and will lose on June 8th.

America is a Liberal country and its silent majority, the same one that propelled Barack Obama into the White House, has rose from lethargy. In part, even though the overall turnout was low, it seems that actions like Arizona's double-barreled racist actions involving illegal aliens and ethnic studies, the veiled racism of some in the Tea Party Movement, and the economy itself poked the sleeping Giant to rise.

It's awake and it will crush the Tea Party Movement.

Cash & Carrie, Lindsey's new Lesbian Love + true catastrophes post by Suzannah B. Troy

Sarah Jessica Parker  is being humiliated by The New York Post for being obscenely rich and obscenely cheap. However, what is not mentioned is she is not alone and from what I have seen first hand there is only one “celebrity” that is not cheap and that is Jack Nicholson. The list of stars including a director who casts himself in his own films and than has his  own extremely expensive underwear purchased for him (not Hanes), washed over and over by the costume designer's assistants and hint..I dislike him more than another director I won't mention that is under house arrest for having sex with a minor.

At one point some production companies have attempted to ask celebrities to pay something when they kept their clothes from movie shoots. Bottom line is everyone in the industry that can get something for free and hold on to their massive fortunes does.  They also attempt to negotiate "plebeians" for as little $ as possible...ho hum.

Jack Nicholson is the only celebrity that seems to me  to remember his roots and is just generous, and he used to be a big bad flirt from what I have heard.  He probably still is.

I have even witnessed high paid women in the entertainment business including one of the highest paying magazines -- trying to lower the price on the smallest of transactions and than brag to
 (was it me ?) about paying x amount of thousands to have the dark circles removed from under her eyes. By the way any supposedly feminist that doesn’t tell what surgery she has had and let’s women compare themselves to her is no feminist. There are also plenty of men that have had face-lifts and their bodies tweaked other than Gene Simmons. Celebrities and authors should include what they have had done on their websites so fans do not compare themselves to them or maybe as a warning for what not to do.

As usual, TMZ has the scoops and not that any of us will be losing sleep over this but if Lindsey Lohan doesn’t get  to the USA soon from Cannes she may find herself behind bars.  Go to TMZ for more on this and other breaking news in "Celebrity World" - not a planet most of us visit!

Lindsey Lohan is in Cannes to promote the independent film in which she plays Linda Lovelace. For anyone who has no idea about Lovelace’s tragic life and abuse endured here is her wikepedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_Lovelace.

Men around the world are fascinated by Lovelace’s famous film Deep Throat and Brian Grazer is among them. He produced “Inside Deep Throat”. Again I would rather refer you to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inside_Deep_Throat.

Linda Lovelace's experience in the porn industry was hellish and she said her husband exploited her and beat her to make her perform.  Jenna Jameson, retired media mogul,  had some tough times but nothing as horrific as Lovelace.  Jameson paved the way for other female porn stars like Belladonna and Terra Patrick to also direct, produce and even create their own studios.

Porn is a mega-billion dollar industry and is not only here to stay but the thin line between porn and Hollywood continues to blur. In fact the AVN Awards, porn’s version of the Oscars is said to be better and a lot more fun than the Oscars. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVN_Award

Way back when in my twenties when I listened to Howard Stern, I remember a porn star lamenting when the porn industry was no longer run by Mafia. You see the Mafia guys paid them in cash.
(Oh, here is the place to plug Theatre 80's Gangster Museum tour but this was before they got in to porn...sorry folks!)

Just to bring you back to NYC. Albany has still not closed the budget and a title of a documentary covering this debacle could be called  “Deeply Screwed” how Albany and City Hall took NYC from a recession to a depression...This is an economic horror show here in New York although times are tough in other States and around the world. I write here in NYC so I had to mention the economic crisis here but another catastrophe that people have yet to understand the horror of completely  is the oil spill off of the Gulf of Mexico which continues to get worse. Sea life continue dying suffocating to death which is horrific and will have very disturbing long range results.  Now the news is the oil spill  maybe showing up on Florida’s beaches.

I guess focusing on Sarah Jessica Parker deemed the cheapest entertainer (and believe me she has competition) and Lindsey Lohan are a vacation from very serious issues that truly effect our lives.

p.s The New York Post has an usual photo of Lindsey and her new girlfriend.

BP Oil Spill in Gulf of Mexico: tar balls hit the shore

The damage and economic devastation from the British Petroleum (BP) Oil Spill does threaten to spread to the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, but researchers contend that the reported "tar balls" found on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico are not due to the BP Oil Spill. I think.

The question is, what caused them?

The CNN report is confusing. The title reads that tar balls are from the BP oil spill, but the text says they may not be from the spill:

Tar balls found on a Florida Keys beach Monday, while not believed to be from a massive Gulf of Mexico spill, are nevertheless raising fears that oil will spread along the coastlines of Florida and beyond.

Clearly something's going on. This video below is of a tarball found on the shores of Gulfport, Ms:

'

But what is a tarball? The National Oceanic and Atmostpheric Association defines it in this way according to The Miami Herald:

Tar balls, the little, dark-colored pieces of oil that stick to our feet when we go to the beach, are actually remnants of oil spills.
When crude oil (or a heavier refined product) floats on the ocean surface, its physical characteristics change.
During the first few hours of a spill, the oil spreads into a thin slick.
Winds and waves tear the slick into smaller patches that are scattered over a much wider area. Various physical, chemical and biological processes change the appearance of the oil. These processes are generally called ``weathering.''

If that's the case, it's fair to say the BP Oil Spill's reached the shores of The Gulf of Mexico already.

Stay tuned.

Diane Feinstein pisses-off Oakland Mayor's Race Green Party candidate

To characterize Oakland Mayor's Race Green Party candidate Donald Macleay as upset that U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein (D - California) endorsed former California State Senator and Oakland Mayor's Race candidate Don Perata for Mayor, is an understatement.

Donald Macleay, who I now give the name "Donny Mac," and who I interviewed here....



...is just plain pissed off.

Macleay fired off this hot letter to me just 10 minutes ago and that I'm about to present to you for inspection below. Indeed, Don sent the letter to a number of media people, which means he really was hopping mad over the issue and wanted to pick a fight or draw attention to himself or some combination of both. That's politics.

It's also necessary. The problem Donald Macleay has is he's a "Don" like Perata, so his name gets lost in the sea of Don. Call this a scream for help from someone lost on a castaway island in Oakland politics. Donny Mac's competing in a field of ten candidates for Mayor of Oakland, California, if we count Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums. He's also up against the idea that it's just Don Perata versus Oakland Councilmembers Jean Quan and Rebecca Kaplan. (And Ron Dellums has not yet said 'I'm not running for Mayor again' and some have said he would.)

Donny Mac is back

Here's the letter:

Feinstein for who?

As the Green party candidate in the Oakland Mayor?s race, I am outside of the circles where our US Senator Dianne Feinstein decided to support out ex-state senator Don Perata. She was never going to call me.

I think she is doing Oakland a disservice by endorsing anyone at all.

The Democrats are like a bad marriage that has regular fights that the neighbors get to hear late into the night. The most nasty fights seem to be over who gets the open job. The other semi-official candidate is going to fight for this vacant job as if her career depends on it, because it does.

None of us will be surprised if the fight gets nastier before it is over. Towards the end of American political campaigns we often have a rash of false accusations, dirty tricks and ugly mudslinging.

Then they make up and pretend that there are no bitter resentments.
We pretend to believe them and try not to get too involved.

The nomination period is still not over, therefore Senator Feinstein is making her choice before the whole field is known. So far Perata?s ?conversation? with us Oaklanders does not include much in the way of his views on city issues. So what has she endorsed? Why pick a side?

Oakland, California and the USA are in a major budget crisis and a lingering recession. Sen. Feinstein should be looking to work with whoever is the next mayor of Oakland and should not have her name attached to any hard feelings this election leaves behind. How would she relate to a Mayor Quan if her name is on Election Day dirty business? Would she take calls from a Mayor Macleay?

The next mayor will need to keep up the race for federal funds that our current mayor has focused on. The next mayor will need to find a working relationship with all our state and federal officials.

When the neighbors are fighting late into the night the worst thing you can do is to take sides.

Don Macleay
candidate@macleay4mayor.org

Donny Mac is back and that's the fact, jack!

Stay tuned.

Children's Hospital Oakland's President and CEO on the facility

In a great online video Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland's President & CEO, Bertram Lubin, MD, talked about why parents should bring their kids to Children's Hospital. He says the main reason is "You get a feeling of warmth. That you're around people who care about your children. The children are why we are here."

In all, Children's Hospital has 58 videos in its well-designed YouTube channel. What's missing is a link to a blog where the videos can be housed in an online publication. In this way the videos can have another source of viewers and not just the channel itself. The channel also needs to group the videos in playlists. I could go on, but the videos themselves are excellent.

The videos come together to show and tell a compelling story about a great environment for both parents, kids, and employees.

And as a note to Children's Hospital, my request to be a friend on YouTube is still outstanding; friend me, please.

Miss USA Rima Fakih pole dancing overshadows conservative racism

Some Conservatives think this is affirmative action!

That Miss USA Rima Fakih participated in a pole dancing contest sponsored by the "Mojo In The Morning" Detroit Radio Show has the Internet abuzz, and in the process covering up the totally psychotic level of racism exhibited by some Couch Potato Conservative bloggers.

Take Daniel Pipes, who actually believes that Rima Fakih's win is a example of Affirmative Action in beauty contests.

No kidding. Pipes actually took time to write that. Daniel Pipes even went so far as to form a list of Arab-American beauty contest winners that boils down to one Arab-American woman per year.

That rate of wins is enough to send Daniel Pipes to the moon. This is a perfect example of how some people are brainwashed to think one person who's white and female should be a beauty standard, and someone of color like Rima Fakih could only win a contest due to affirmative action. His view is so sick it makes me sick.

God forbit Pipes from learning that Rima Fakih was the winner of a stripper pole dancing contest too, and don't tell him the contest promoters were from a white radio station. He'd probably go into convulsions!

On second thought tell him! That's a good idea.

YouTubeland Gaga Greyson & dish - Suzannah B. Troy

All is not well in YouTubeland although YouTube has just celebrated it’s 5 anniversary.  

First let us go to the best and beautiful happening in YouTubeland like my own story of filming Jazz Legend Giuseppi Logan in Tompkins Square Park 2 years and posting on YouTube which radically changed his life.  I immediately found a YouTube from a British filmmaker same park almost 50 years earlier with Giuseppi and a little boy with an original GL composition playing in the background.  Since my 21 part YouTube documentary Giuseppi has cut a new CD his first since his two successful ones released in 1960’s by ESP records and I help unite Giuseppi Logan with the little boy in the YouTube, Jaee Logan, also a musical genius like his Dad!  I suggested Jaee Logan make a documentary and he is.  I also told him “Hollywood movie” and a book along the lines of The Soloist with charities as well.  That is part of my dream...

Now on to the mega-bucks YouTube wonders that do happen in YouTubeland.  Lady Gaga has signed young YouTube sensation Greyson Chance to her label, Interscope Record and his manager is now Guy Oseary, Madonna’s manager.

This is different than the Susan Boyle syndrome where a tv program and YouTube combined created a big income earning for Boyle and she doesn’t seem able to cope with fame.

I also bought a single of Boyle’s from ITunes and I ended up deleting it because it fell flat.

This young man is articulate and winning as highlighted in his Ellen interview.  Lady Gaga calls in and gives him advice.

This maybe the first a mega hit YouTube star born in YouTubeland with no help from American Idol, Simon Cowell....a pure YouTube hit.

There is a dark side to YouTubeland and I have more to tell you on the dark, dark side but tune in later, may be much later!

Also here is a shot from NYC, Soho.  Victoria Secret’s “Pink” hosting  and event with 1st Baseman for The New York Yankees Mark Teixeira and model Chanel as they have a Yankee Street Party in the rain.  Here is the facebook page to check in with later today.

Mark Souder: GOP Indiana Rep resigns over affair, upsets election race

Rep. Mark Souder

Rep. Mark Souder is a 14-year, eight-term House of Representatives veteran who campaigned on a "family values" ethic, campaigned against the Obama Health Care Reform Plan, and said he was interested in preserving the idea of traditional marriage, has resigned after revealing that he'd cheated on his wife with a female staff aide.

While liberal blogs like The Huffington Post point to Mark Souder's commitment to the idea of one man and one woman, technically, Mark Souder didn't say he was opposed to having a mistress in a marriage for himself, just Democrats.

Souder attacked then-President Bill Clinton and called for his resignation after the Monika Lewinsky Affair, but not Clinton's impeachment.

Mark Souder's resignation opens a once closed door of opportunity for Democrats Indiana's 3rd Congressional District. The district was considered safe under Mark Soude's watch, even though some observers had predicted a close November race.

Stay tuned.

Palin proves TIMING is EVERYTHING - again.

Sarah Palin burst into the national consciousness almost two years ago, and for a short while news services could talk of nothing else, and following the VP candidates debate pundits said she'd won because she didn't completely blow it. By November the bump Palin provided McCain's ratings faded as the country learned more about his new running-mate, and U.S. voters elected the Illinois Senator with the "funny name and big ears." It wasn't so long after Obama's night in Grant Park that Palin calculated her title as Governor of Alaska was more of a hindrance to her career than a help, remember?

Most of the pundits assure us that Tea Party activists (or at least coverage of them on TV) bolstered by Palin's photogenic smile tipped the balance against incumbent Utah Senator Robert Bennett when he failed to secure his party's nomination at a state convention.

Naturally, Palin has bestowed her Tea Party blessing on John "Complete the Danged Fence" McCain, yet by all accounts McCain is in danger of being upset in a primary. There's no question Arizona is currently the focus of the immigration storm in the U.S., but it's shaping up as the epicenter of the anti-incumbent earthquake since McCain's well-documented "toughening" of his rhetoric on that issue hasn't staved off the challenge from former congressman/talk show radio host J.D. Hayworth.

Like former President Bush, as recently as 2007 mavericky Senator McCain had championed less-extreme solutions to immigration reform before consulting the tea leaves and getting his position right. Unlike Pennsylvania's Arlen Specter, McCain's not in a primary today, but he may wish he was as Hayworth continues to make inroads in McCain's lead. By the time the late August Arizona primary happens the Palin endorsement will be ancient history, and McCain's staff will be struggling to dominate the news cycle much the way Specter's struggled to be "bigger news" than Joe Sestak.

The "re-assignment" of Campaign Manager Shiree Verdone and Aide Mike Hellon reveals just how precarious McCain's situation really is -- and that demonstrates how little impact Palin's early endorsement had. Given her own notoriety it's hard to say if Michelle Bachmann is getting any boost from her connection to Palin, but she's already worried about the Democratic front runner, State Senator Tarryl Clark, who hasn't even secured her place on the November ballot yet (MN primary: August 10th.)

Palin's endorsement may not be enough to preserve McCain's power. Specter's calculated change of parties hasn't looked very effective. Bachmann's running negative ads before her own presumed challenger has even won the primary. Meanwhile the Obama administration is moving forward fast on Wall Street reform, and the unholy trinity of BP, Haliburton, and Transocean squandered that same administration's willingness to let off-shore exploration move ahead.

Drill, baby, drill? Timing is everything.

Thomas Hayes is an entrepreneur, journalist, political staffer, and photographer who contributes regularly to a host of web sites on topics ranging from economics and politics to culture and community.

Miss USA Rima Fakih does Miley Cyrus pole dancing

Miss USA Rima Fakih is in the middle of a sexy photo controversy (another one) that really should go away, but here it is. In 2007, Rima Fakih participated in a contest produced by the Detroit "Mojo In The Morning" Radio Show that invited women to enter a stripper pole dance contest.

This is what an email sent to this blogger from the Detroit MoJo In The Morning show representatives read:

In 2007, newly-crowned Miss USA Rima Fakih participated in our annual event titled "Stripper 101." Our nationally-syndicated morning show (based in Detroit) holds an annual class for women who wish to add spice to their relationships. Real-life strippers teach our female listeners the art of the strip tease and pole dancing at the Coliseum Gentleman's Club in Detroit. At the end of the class, a contest is held among the new students and in 2007, Rima Fakih was the grand prize winner, walking away with jewelry, gift cards, adult toys and a stripper pole for home use. The event is attended by women only and Fakih did not remove any clothing. The circulating photos have been on our website for three years.

So with that, the overall question is "what's the big deal?" Just last week we had the Miley Cyrus Lap Dance Video controversy, and if you don't know what that's about here's my video on that...



And last year we had the Carrie Prejean Miss USA issue, and the Miley Cyrus Stripper Pole Dance issue at the Teen Choice Awards, and a number of other similar scandals in between. Do we really care anymore?

To be frank, I'm not surprised that Rima took these photos and then entered a pageant. It seems to be this new standard that women who think they look good and do enter these photo contests or have racy photos of themselves created, then go into Miss USA-style beauty competitions.

It raises the issue of what a role model's supposed to be at a time when the very definition of it is being rewritten as we debate it. We talk about it as a way of working our way toward accepting it, then it goes away.

I think that's what should happen here, but for those conservatives and racists who may use this issue as a tool against her. Good luck Michelle Malkin.

I write that because I'm lovingly taking my Facebook friend Malkin to the woodshed for her attack on Rima Fakih, and really just because she's Arab-American as Barrett Brown at True/Slant points out - even though Michelle will not admit that. If Rima were white, Michelle would be defending the photos and her. Ball's in your court, Michelle.

What do you think about all this? Should Miss USA Rima Fakih be allowed to keep her crown? Take my poll > Click for poll

The San Francisco Sunshine Flower Girl at The Union Street Festival

Sunshine The Clown 

The month of June means San Francisco Festival Season and that means events like The Union Street Festival and San Francisco institutions like The San Francisco Sunshine Flower Girl.

The San Francisco Sunshine Flower Girl, is "Sunshine The Clown" and appears at San Francisco festivals from Union Street and the North Beach Festival, to The Folsom Street Fair. But one thing happened at Union Street last year which should not happen to the San Francisco Sunshine Flower Girl: harassment from so-called festival representatives.

What the San Francisco Sunshine Flower Girl is make flower balloons for money, and not a lot. But the nature of what Sunshine The Clown does such that she's mobile. Asking Sunshine The Clown to get some kind of festival booth permit, which runs into the thousands in some cases, is anti-business.

The San Francisco Sunshine Flower Girl should be hired by the festival producer to add to the ambiance of the event. Let Sunshine The Clown make some money and put smiles on the faces of the people of San Francisco in the process. There's nothing wrong with that.

And if you want to hire the San Francisco Sunshine Flower Girl, go to this website: http://www.thesunshineshow.com or just send Sunshine The Clown an email here: sunshine@thesunshineshow.com