Skip to main content

Today's Poll: Do you think the media should report on the private lives of celebrities?

By Howard B. Owens
Jeff Allen

In the case of Tiger Woods, who I assume prompted this poll, 10% of is income was derived from his actual competative golf, 90% was derived from endorsements. Corporate endorsements amount to the celebrity saying look at me, here is what I drive, here is what I eat, here is what I wear, here is what I use, and you should too. His actions took place in the public eye while he was on the road, and when he took the "private battle" with his wife into a public fire hydrant and public tree, then proceeded to lie about it, then yes the public has the right to know the truth. You can't live off public attention, worship, and income and then all of a sudden cry "privacy" when the glass house starts to crack.
Adulterous relationships by public figures are especially angering to me because all too often they are brushed aside and the offenders return to successful public lives leaving in their wake broken homes and devastated children.
Why Mark Sanford is still Governor of SC and John Ensign is still in office in Nevada is beyond me(both Republicans by the way). If and public official/figure is willing to lie to his soulmate, then he will tell his constituents/fans anything.

Dec 4, 2009, 11:44am Permalink
C. M. Barons

What would happen if the supermarkets pulled a switch... relocate the Star, Enquirer and Examiner to the far wall and have the New York Times, Herald-Tribune and Washington Post surround the checkout aisle. Would Britney start wearing underwear? Would shoppers' IQs advance 30 points? Would the shelf-life of fruit be extended?

One of the few conspiracies that I actually believe: Americans are being dumbed-down, especially about the government. The Feds curtailed funding of PBS- specifically to kill Frontline. Network news departments are pale imitations of the Edward R. Murrow days. Most radio stations provide only weather forecasts. Newspapers are all about advertizing. Instead of talking about reality, people talk about "reality shows." I can't tell the difference between Time and People magazines anymore.

And most insidious- the emasculation of the local tavern. This country was seeded in taverns; an establishment being systematically destroyed by television. One can't plot insurrection in a bar. Twenty TVs blare sports at you- like an Orwellian nightmare. ...And what is it with sports, anyway? I get celebrities; these are the people we'd rather be in bed with. Why do American males waste 60-80% of their breath rehashing sports statistics? Take all the money fans spend on team merchandise and donate it to the community chest- imagine that! Can you imagine how productive this country would become when men stopped wasting their energy on professional sports?

Dec 4, 2009, 11:57am Permalink
Dave Olsen

Just don't move The World Weekly News away from the check out area. That is good reading while waiting. As for the other tabloids, most of the time I don't even know who the "celebrities" are.

Dec 4, 2009, 12:16pm Permalink
Peter O'Brien

A Huge tax burden, unemployment when accurately estimated close to 20%. 4 months of wishywashyness on Afghanistan. A Healthcare bill that will hurt everyone it touches (it won't bother the politicians though). A Cap and Tax bill to combat a hoax. Decreased relations with our best ally the UK. An image of a toothless dog to our enemies. And less firepower in our military.

Dec 4, 2009, 12:50pm Permalink
Jim Burns

"A Cap and Tax bill to combat a hoax" interesting. Do you think Elvis is alive? Just kidding thank you for your response. Obama did all that in less than one year in office? You may not like what he has done but you must admit he has been very busy single handedly ruining our country. In my opinion our current President has been a little less affective in getting anything done.

I have always thought it was fascinating when people say someone was elected because “they are popular”. I don’t see how the electoral process could possible make someone unpopular get elected, unless of course they are running against someone less popular. Elections should be about the issues and who is more qualified but these important points are not always the key issues in elections. Presidents Jackson, Grant, T Roosevelt, Eisenhower and GW Bush's second term all come to mind as popularity contests. (For the record I am not comparing Obama to any of them). Just that they were elected because they where popular and well known.

Dec 4, 2009, 1:19pm Permalink
Jim Burns

"And when was the last time Osama had a video that had a time reference in it? That's right, years ago. He's dead. Bush got him"

new quote form here http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/13/new-osama-bin-laden-tape-_n_28…
IntelCenter, another company that monitors terrorist propaganda, said the 11-minute video shows a still picture of bin Laden while audio of the address plays.

Bin Laden's address to the American people comes two days after the eighth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. He typically addresses the United States in a message around the Sept. 11 anniversary.

The purpose of his address Sunday, bin Laden said in the SITE translation, is "to remind you of the causes" of Sept. 11, chiefly "your support to your Israeli allies who occupy our land of Palestine."

Bin Laden argued against the claims that the war is necessary for U.S. security, saying current White House officials are merely following the strategy of former President George W. Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney to "promote the previous policies of fear to market the interests of big companies."

When Obama became president and retained many of the Bush administration's military leaders, such as Defense Secretary Robert Gates, "reasonable people knew that Obama is a powerless man who will not be able to end the war as he promised," bin Laden said.

"If you end the war, so to it," bin Laden said. "But if it is otherwise, all we will do is continue the war of attrition against you on all possible axes."

here is the head of the CIA saying Osamo is alive http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=6248595&page=1

Osama bin Laden is alive and "putting a lot of energy into his own security," the director of the CIA, General Michael Hayden, said today.

Osama bin Laden is alive and hiding in Pakistan, said CIA chief Michael Hayden today, though the terrorism leader has little oversight of the al Qaeda daily operations.
(Getty Images/AP Photo)
More Photos
He also claimed, without providing details, that the US intelligence community had disrupted an attack "that would have rivaled the destruction of 9/11." A senior intelligence official said Hayden was referring to the 2006 liquid bomb on airliners plot that was foiled in London.

"American and its friends have taken the fight to the enemy," Gen. Hayden said in a broad roundup of efforts to fight al Qaeda.

"Al Qaeda has suffered serious setbacks, but it is a determined, adaptive enemy unlike any our nation has ever faced," he said.

Without directly referring to the CIA's offensive blitz of unmanned missile attacks in the tribal areas of Pakistan, the CIA boss said the US had successfully isolated the al Qaeda leader bin Laden, referring to him in the present tense.

Dec 4, 2009, 1:29pm Permalink
Dave Olsen

Unfortunately, I think it has been a long time since the "Most Qualified" person has been elected President. In the years which I been old enough to vote (my first was 1980) it's usually a choice between bad and worse. I think these National politiicians have become celebrities like professional athletes and actors. A lot of people vote based on a publicity campaign. Here's a current example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKKKgua7wQk

Dec 4, 2009, 1:31pm Permalink
Jim Burns

Dave,

You found the words I was looking for. I agree. I saw that video last week it was funny and painful all at the same time.

So... back to Tiger. Does anyone think Nike will take him off their "Just Do It" campaign?

Dec 4, 2009, 1:45pm Permalink
Jeff Allen

I think a lot of players on the tour want the club she had that night, it's one of the few clubs that anyone has beaten Tiger with in the last few years!

Dec 4, 2009, 4:25pm Permalink

Authentically Local