CBS Evening Snooze with Katie Couric

Katie Couric's much anticipated debut as anchor of the CBS Evening News turned out to be exactly what I expected but hoped it wouldn't be-- soft and sappy.

I may as well put it out here-- I have not been a fan of the CBS Evening News since Walter Cronkite retired on March 6, 1981. I was junior in high school and thought Cronkite was the best. Hands down, bar none. Dan Rather didn't do it for me. And neither does Couric.

When I watch newscasts, I need the anchors to be firm, authoritative and in control. What I got from Couric was warm, fuzzy, and limp. There was no urgency in the delivery, let alone the content. At least not the lead story. I watched the first minute or so and quickly reached for the remote control so I could switch to Brian Williams on NBC Nightly News. I gave Couric a second chance and turned back before the end of the newscast only to catch a flashback moment to a CBS newscast from decades ago, a new commentary feature called Free Speech, which on Tuesday featured filmmaker Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me), and a closing that included a look at famous evening news sign-offs of old-- including those of two fictional anchors-- and Couric asking viewers to send her suggestions for a sign-off that she can use. GIVE ME A BREAK!!!

Soft and sappy doesn't cut it on what should be the Eye's daily newscast of record. What I saw of Tuesday's program felt more like 6o Minutes with a touch of CBS Sunday Morning. For me, it was a real snoozer.

While she waits for viewers to submit sign-off ideas, Couric closed last night's newscast by simply saying, "I'm Katie Couric, thank you so much for watching and I hope to see you tomorrow night." Don't count on it, Katie. I'm sticking with Brian.

Oh, Good Evening.

For the Love of His Kids

I honestly can't remember a Labor Day holiday that did not include Jerry Lewis and his annual telethon to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. I was born in 1964. The MDA Telethon was born two years later and Jerry Lewis has been the host and tireless advocate ever since. He's never missed a year, not even when he's been ill.

I think I started watching in the mid-70's and have seen at least some of the telethon just about each year since. I have always been struck by Jerry's dedication-- Jerry is 80 years old and he's doing this year's telethon just a couple of months after suffering a heart attack-- and true love for his "kids." That's what he affectionately calls people afflicted with any type of muscular dystrophy. As a child, I would make a donation each year just because I felt like helping. I think the first time I called in a pledge, it was for $5. Jerry and the local host in Detroit always drove home the message that every contribution helps, no matter how small or how large.

It turns out that my contributions may have helped a family member. My great-aunt, the late Ruth Cross of St. Louis, Missouri, was one of Jerry's Kids for more than 15 of her final years. I don't know the exact neuromuscular disease Aunt Ruth had, but it slowly robbed her of her vitality, rendering her immobile, unable to speak, and pretty much confined to a bed in a nursing home. God called her home last year. The last time I saw her was in 2000 and I had not seen Aunt Ruth in many years prior to that because I had not been to St. Louis much my grandparents, Nana and Grandpa, moved to Detroit to live with my father. That was in 1985, I think. Anyway, seeing Aunt Ruth in that nursing home was a sad thing for me. I remembered how active she was, working everyday at the Budweiser plant, keeping her cute little flat on Page Boulevard between Union and Kingshighway, and driving her Ford LTD. One of my last visits to St. Louis as a teenager was when I was 16 years old. Aunt Ruth let me keep the LTD while I was in town so I'd have a way to get around town. She was the best! That nursing home visit in 2000, thought sad, was good for both of us. Aunt Ruth's mind was still sharp as a tack. She was so happy to see me and was able to scribble little notes on an erasable pad to communicate. I feel blessed to have been able to see her that one last time.

I am ashamed to say that I stopped making donations to the MDA Telethon along the way, but sometimes all it takes is a little refelction to remind you of how important some things are. MDA researchers work dilligently to find a cures for neuromuscular diseases so that some day, people won't have to go through what my Aunt Ruth went through. MDA supports many programs that help muscular dystrophy patients live as normally as possible. MDA also provides temendous support to patients and their families. All of that costs a lot of money.
Thank God for Jerry Lewis and MDA.

I am blessed with a strong, healthy life; something I and so many others take for granted. That's a big mistake. I'm signing off of this post to go to the MDA Telethon site and make a contribution in the name of Ruth Cross. I encourage you to do the same, if not to MDA, to another organization that has touched you or someone close to you. We can make a difference.

Oh, Good Evening.

Dirty Laundry

I'm in Atlanta for Labor Day weekend and attended a sneak preview screening of the independent black film Dirty Laundry, written and directed by Maurice Jamal (The Ski Trip). The screening, sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign, was held Saturday night at the Woodruff Arts Center and drew a near capacity crowd.

Click on the Dirty Laundry link above and see the trailer for this film. All I can say is PHENOMENAL! Stars include Loretta Devine (Boston Public, Dreamgirls, Crash), Rockmond Dunbar (Prison Break, Soul Food), Jennifer Lewis (Madea's Family Reunion, The Brothers), Terri J. Vaughan (The Steve Harvey Show), and Sommore (Soul Plane). Jamal also appears along with some young newcomers who are very, very good.

Produced on a budget of roughly $250,000, this film made me laugh, cry, jump up and down, snap my fingers, and bop my head more than films made on budgets 10 times as large. I give MAJOR props to Jamal who wrote a fantastic script that touched every emotion. His characters are deep and well developed and the actors do a great job of breathing life into them. This movie touched me in such a way that, at one point, I found myself wiping away tears for what seemed like 20 minutes, often at the same time I was laughing my ass off!

You MUST see this movie. Look for it in wide release in Spring 2007. And, as Maurice Jamal told his Atlanta audience Saturday night, "Y'all mutha (shut yo' mouth!), GO SEE IT ON OPENING WEEKEND!!!!"

Oh, Good Evening!

Chicken of the Sea

He was the #2 pick overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. A little more than three years later, he's a man without a team. The Detroit Lions cut wide receiver Charles Rogers today. As reported by the Associated Press, "His career in Detroit ended with just 36 receptions for 440 yards and four touchdowns along with two broken collarbones and a four-game suspension." So much potential unrealized.

Matt Millen, the team's president and CEO, must be reeling right now. He drafted Rogers and gave him a $14.2 million signing bonus. That works out to $394,444.44 per catch; or $32,272.73 per yard; or $3.55 million per touchdown. Of course, Rogers would probably break it down like this-- at approximately $150 per ounce, the signing bonus could buy nearly 95,000 ounces of marijuana.

Rogers was confident he'd make the cut. Coach Marinelli and his staff had something different in mind. Now, #80 is a man without a team; at least temporarily. To paraphrase a popular tuna commercial of old, "Sorry, Charlie. Only the hardest working receivers get to be Lions."

Oh, Good Evening!

They're Awake!

After napping through game one of the WNBA Finals, the Detroit Shock awakened and showed up for game two against the Sacramento Monarchs. While they trailed through the first three quarters, the current started flowing in the fourth and final stanza and boy were they electrifying to watch!

Detroit held Sacramento to just nine points in the fourth quarter while scoring 25 on their way to a much needed win. The final score: SAC 63 DET 73. Way to go, ladies! The series is even at 1-1. We just need to steal one in Sacramento and get home court advantage back!

Better yet-- let's win both games on the road and just come back to The Palace of Auburn Hills with the trophy!

Oh, Good Evening!