Family Buries Wrong Son

Here's a story I picked up as a video on CNN and followed over to Fox for more coverage:

After a shooting on February 15th in St. Louis, Frederick McWherter stepped up to identify the victim as his missing son. However, after the man was already buried and funeral processions over, it was revealed to the family that their son was not only alive, but in a rehabilitation center in the city.

The victim turned out to be Kenny Stainback, whose upset family has had his body exhumed and plans to have another burial soon.

My sympathies go out to Stainback's family, who I'm sure has been put through much grief during this process, having to pull their son from an improper grave. I can't figure out how something like this can happen. I realize that McWherter had given a positive identification to the body, but I feel like there should be something else than simply one man's word in such an incident. Although, I must admit that everything about the incident plays like a true accident and very regrettable mistake for those involved. Maybe this situation will change some rules as far as the family identification of deceased bodies.

My Top 10 Oscar Moments

Both EW and E! Online today have a list of their best and worst Academy Awards moments, which can be found here and here. Both are great, but I've decided to compile my own list of the top 10 Oscar moments. So, here we go:

My Top 10 Oscar Moments(in the order in which they wowed me):

10. Jon Stewart proclaiming that now that Oscar is turning 80, he is automatically the top contender for the Republican presidential nomination.

9. The tribute sequence to screen greats who have died this year, powerfully concluding with an image of Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain.

8. Martin Scorcese, long denied an Oscar himself up until last year despite his brilliant work, presenting the prestigious award for Best Director.

7. Daniel Day Lewis's recitation of poetry-also known as his speech-after winning Best Actor.

6. Jon Stewart claiming that amidst the several gory films being honored, "thank God for teen pregnancy"--referrring to Juno.

5. Diablo Cody winning Best Screenplay for Juno and delivering a sweetly appreciative speech.

4. Best Supporting Actor Javier Bardem's bilingual speech, the Spanish part being directed to his mother in the crowd.

3. Markéta Irglová, winner for Once's song "Falling Slowly", being ushered back onstage by Jon Stewart after the orchestra cut her speech off before it even began.

2. Katherine Heigl's beautiful red Escada gown--okay, it wasn't exactly a moment, but seeing it made a girl wish to walk down that carpet one day with equal class and style.

1.Jon Stewart's joke that due to the presence of Jack Nicholson(cooly clad in black shades), they would have to retally the pregancy count at the end of the night.

There were many more, but this is my "best" list just off the top of my head. Overall, I thought that for once the show did a fair job at living up to the all hype that precedes it. Snaps to you, Screenwriters Guild, for making it possible.

*Update* According to Perez Hilton, ratings were down 21% from last year. Eh, well.

Battle of the SNL Cameos

Mike Huckabee followed in the steps of Barack Obama last night, appearing in a sketch on NBC's Saturday Night Live. CNN has an article on their site detailing the appearance, in which Huckabee commented that he would not overstay his welcome in the election and then humorously stayed on the show far beyond his cue to leave.

Earlier on in the year when Obama appeared on the sketch comedy show, he arrived in costume as himself to a halloween party hosted by "Hillary Clinton". Obama's appearance was very brief, but the sketch was pretty hilarious as well.

I wonder if these appearances are attempts to signal to the American public that Huckabee and Obama are the "feel good" candidates for their respective parties. While I can't decide who made the better appearance just yet, I hope to make this a fair fight by Hillary Clinton and John McCain joining in on the fun. Remember, candidates, a few laughs can go a long way.

Below are video clips of the Obama and Huckabee appearances for those who didn't catch them. Check them out, the guys held their own against such SNL veterans as Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers.



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Spotlight on EW's TV Watch

I've been waiting for the right moment to bring up my love for EW's TV Watch section and alas, this post is it. For those unfamiliar, TV Watch is a part of Entertainment Weekly's site where various staff reviews a selection of the most popular shows, often comically. I'm fond of the feature because I think the reviewers not only wrap up the shows quite succinctly, but offer up laugh out loud views of specific interesting moments that trigger your memory with that "ah!" light bulb effect. The reviews appear promptly the day after the show airs and I'm a devout reader of a couple, reading whether I saw the episode the night before or not.

The specific review that I'd like to spotlight now is one for "America's Next Top Model" by Mandi Bierly. I think Bierly's review is both written cleverly and very funny. A personal favorite line from it would be the following, made in reference to a particular contestant named Stacy Ann's strengths in the game:

"She's been married since she was 17, which means producers will want to have her stick around until they can get her into a compromising position with a male model."

Although, the reviews often seem to make jokes about the shows they recap, one gets the sense that it's all in good fun. And that's exactly what you should expect from Entertainment Weekly.

My Views on The View

I was on the ABC News website when I found a video about a fight on "The View" between Whoopi Goldberg and the notoriously conservative Elisabeth Hasselbeck.

Not trying to be sexist, but I think the lone fact that I'm a female makes "The View" a lot more tolerable and even likeable for me than the opposite gender. For sure, at least, I know that any time it is turned on or even spoken about in front of guys I know there is usually a fair amount of moaning and groaning to be heard. But, for you male fans out there, no intent to offend, more power to you. Regardless, my point is that I tend to enjoy "The View". I'm never usually home during its 11-noon timeslot, but I feel like if I was, I'd be watching.

Even I, however, am a little bit "over" the whole let's-set-up-controversial-topics-and-have-someone-fight-with-Elisabeth thing. I don't agree with the views of Hasselbeck because I'm of a more liberal mindset, but c'mon. We know she loves President Bush. We know she's over on the right wing. We know her and Rosie O'Donnell aren't best friends forever. Is it necessary, though, to constantly put her on the offensive?

After searching around, I found this article on Newsbusters(not my kind of site, but that's okay)about another political fight that went down between Goldberg and Hasselbeck back in October concerning abortion. "The View" staff must get so excited on days they know they have these topics up for discussion, assured that they have a great fight and maybe even another split-screen smack-down on the horizon.

Anyway, here's the clip of the latest fight, think of it what you will. If I find a clip to embed, I'll be right on that(a.k.a. calling out to all you YouTubers, get on with the uploading).

"Higher" Expectations

I literally laughed out loud while browsing People's website today when I found this article about Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag of MTV's The Hills. Pratt is once again hyping up Montag's future "album", this time spewing out:

"Madonna, eat your heart out. Britney Spears, eat your heart out. I would say we have diamond records coming - they're gonna sell 10-million plus."

Oh, Spencer. Do you really think that anyone buys anything that comes out of your mouth these days? Maybe back when Heidi first announced that she was trying on a pop career for size we all were kind of wondering whether or not she could sort of pull it off. Now that we've all heard and seen what Heidi has to offer, though, I'm pretty sure the speculating is over.

You have to give some credit to this sketchy duo, I guess. It must be tiring when you spend all your time living one huge publicity stunt. I'd like to think that Heidi and Spencer aren't as shallow and fame-obsessed as they seem, but it would help if they did a little on their own to convince me...take a single picture that they aren't blatantly mugging for, perhaps?

In case anyone hasn't caught Heidi's video (oh, you lucky few), here's a clip from VH1's "Best Week Ever" that pairs it up with amusing "Pop Up Video"-like snippets:

Feeling Nostalgic

I was browsing around the usual sites I frequent, but couldn't find anything that really struck my interest. Maybe I'm extra picky for some reason tonight or maybe I'm just in a stupor from another one of MTV's day-long marathons of America's Next Top Model. Nevertheless, I kept searching and decided to expand my horizons both a little further and a little closer to home. Never could I have guessed how very close to home I would find myself.

While exploring the website of my local newspaper, The Burlington County Times, I came across a story about Joseph Lemme, a former principal of Holy Cross High School, who was recently sentenced to five years in prison for a $415,848 embezzlement from the school. Lemme, according to the article, is being defended by his lawyer as having stolen from the school as a means of vengeance for alleged sexual crimes committed against him at a seminary he attended as a teenager.

You may be wondering why such a story would hit so close to home. Well, Joseph Lemme was principal for exactly four years at Holy Cross, which happened to be the four years in which I received my education there. My freshman year and his first year at the school was marked by the scandalous revelation of the civil suit he had filed against the Catholic Church for the sexual abuse he claimed had occurred when he was younger. I remember my fellow students being both very mature and very immature about the situation, but little did anyone know that that particular scandal would be a precursor to and determinant of an even larger one.

After reading the story and letting it sink in a little, I find myself feeling nostalgic. Not only could I hear Lemme's voice as I read his quotes, but I recognized the names of parents who had been interviewed for the article. When it speaks of the family who was hurt by this crime, I can visualize the little girl he had brought to an assembly one day who had hid shyly behind him. It is not often that I can identify so closely to an article, to be able to absorb so much out of it because I already know the story. You'd think that because I am much more familiar with the situation than most that I would be able to make a better and more informed judgment, but I find that I cannot. During high school my feelings toward our principal were rather indifferent, yet this article puts a new spin on his life that I hadn't ever considered. I'm still upset that he stole from the school community, but I now see more than greed behind it.

Ultimately, I'm glad that I went back to my roots to look for something of interest because I managed to gain a new point of view that I wouldn't have otherwise.

Instant Cameras Not Quick Enough

Usually I visit Perez Hilton to get all the latest celeb gossip, but while browsing today I found something slightly more groundbreaking than Britney shopping for jeans with her mom. Sadly(at least in my opinion), Polaroid is discontinuing its instant camera! The NY Times also went a little more in-depth with the story in its blog, The Lede.

Sure, instant film has become outdated...that's undeniable, I guess. I can't help but feel, though, that there is room left in the market for such a beloved classic as the Polaroid instant camera. I have to admit, I own a digital camera and use it often so I'm aware of the appeal they have over their predecessors. Still, there's just something about those instant photos, something great about snapping a picture and flapping it in the air for a minute as you wait excitedly for it to development. There's still some magic left in being able to take a picture and not knowing what it's going to look like right away, not automatically having one of your friends veto it and push the delete button because one of their eyes is closed and it looks like they have two chins and "oh my God that cannot go on Facebook".

It's sad to see such familiar objects already becoming obsolete. I know Polaroid cameras weren't exactly the big thing for my generation, they'd already been around for a while, but they still don't seem as if their time has run up already. Oh well. Polaroid instant camera, you will be missed.

You know what time it is.

Yes, tonight is the premiere of Flavor of Love 3. For those who are unfamiliar, the Flavor of Love television series features has-been rapper Flava Flav as he attempts to find love amongst VH1's own selection of "classy" ladies, past contenders having gained infamy by spitting in each other's faces and even making a bowel movement on his floor. It's great tv.

I must ask, though--has reality television captivated all of us so much that we really don't even need to see any element of "reality" in it anymore? C'mon, does anyone believe that Flav is going to find his true love this time? Furthermore, does anyone believe that any of his girls are looking for something more than a spot on the next go around of Charm School or their own "I Love __" series à la New York? They can't actually be serious about a relationship with Flav. Really, the only instantly apparent benefit to dating him is never having to wear a watch.

I won't deny that it's captivating. I know for sure that I'll be tuning in tonight, just as I did for Rock of Love 2 last night, because let's face it--pleasures don't get any guiltier than this.

Here's a sneak peek:

Reebok wants to be Kool...

While on the T today, I couldn't help but notice a rather obnoxious advertising campaign. Reebok has apparently just come out with a new brand of "Kool Aid" shoes. Not only do they have the Kool Aid logo on the heel and the Kool Aid smiley face on the one side, they are also scented! Is anyone out there excited? I doubt it.

Style Dash did a great first impression piece on this marketing blunder. I have to agree with my fellow blogger on this one: why would anyone want their shoes to smell like Kool Aid? I wasn't even aware that Kool Aid was still that popular. I mean, it was great on a hot day when I was about seven, but so many other juice and sports drinks have materialized since then. I'd love to talk to whoever over at Reebok thought this was a great idea for a new brand. I know there are shoe fanatics who go for kitsch-y items like this, but I really can't see it appealing to a mass audience.

On the other hand, though, who would've known those shoes that would light up when you took a step would be all the rage? Or Crocs? To each his own, I guess.

But I'm with the Talking Wolverine on this one, one of my new favorite characters on YouTube:

Confessions to Bring Closure?

No Sympathy for the Pats

Sure, the Giants undoubtedly outplayed them last night. Manning delivered the type of success-under-high-pressure passes that Brady usually pulls off. Coughlin outshined Belichick in not only smarts, but class. However, I'm not quite sure the Patriots deserve the kind of flack they are receiving today in the aftermath of last night's game. Boston.com already has a survey of who is to blame. Currently, the blame is being pointed at "No one..the Giants just played better", with "The offensive line" coming in at a close second. Another question asks if this was the greatest upset in Boston sports history. I know they disappointed last night, but are these kinds of polls really necessary? Talk about adding insult to injury, and maybe they deserve it, but being blown off and beaten up by your season's greatest supporters is pretty rough. I expected Boston.com to be a little more lenient, more of a shoulder to cry on than a rallying point for bullying.


Some post-Super Bowl coverage that I did enjoy includes Michael Silver's Yahoo!Sports exclusive. His format is clever and funny and he makes some excellent points about the best and worst moments. Another great column was Dan Wetzel's, also of Yahoo!Sports, "Super Winners and Losers" commentary. I especially enjoyed his crowning of the "7 and 3 squares", mostly because that was the subject of much gloating and howling among my friends last night. Another great winner was the '72 Dolphins, mainly because he followed it up with the demoting of "The rest of us" to loser status because we have to continue to listen to them "crow about it".


I think that Boston.com should add a link to either one of these fresh and entertaining perspectives to their "9 ways to get over the Patriots" list.