Save us from selfies.

Today's Tids Issue 3062

Opening Stuff:

 

It was early morning as I stepped out of the car, ready and prepared to be strong in the dentist’s chair now a few steps away. The air was beautiful, you know that clean, cool perfection that mornings always bring. I even thought I saw a bud or two as I walked past a small bush. And then, then I heard the strains, powerful music filtering through the beauty of the morning. The Stars Spangled Banner from the US Naval station a road or three away wafted neathe the crystalline skies; it stopped me in my tracks. I stood for a moment consuming the energy of the song; looked at my watch; I strode in. Everybody was smiling. They heard it too.

 

The weathermen keep regaling us with higher temperature reports, but the ocean here keeps us cool sometimes into June. In the meantime I’ve postponed stowing the fleece.

 

I look for news and rarely find much that is truly worth reporting, even for my meager headline segment. The Malaysian plane was real news for what – two days. Anything North Korea does is news that should be reported because the leader appears to be so maniacally unpredictable. But, killings in the Middle East are like litter violations here. There are sad little incidents like yesterday when the older Australian women out for her morning swim was killed by a shark. Or the nice little piece of news about Boston firemen finding the wedding ring for the wife of the husband killed. The point here is that there is so much bogus information out there and so many media outlets to report it, that it gets tougher and tougher to be fresh.  Maybe I’ll just start making up stuff about Obama.

 

The Question:

Eddie Murphy was a genuinely funny guy, but some of his newer films have been less that successful. Name five of the good Eddie Murphy movies.

 

The Headlines:

--Another Fort Hood Shooter Kills 4, Wounds 16; Ivan Lopez Was There Being Treated For Mental Illness.

--US New Jobless Claims Jump up 16K To 326,000; Analysts Awaiting Report On New Jobs Added In March – Expected To Be Higher Than Forecast 200K; Market Strong At Opening..

--US state department Concerned Over Choice Of Iran’s UN Ambassador; Hamid Aboutalebi Is Hardliner, Former Member Of Group that Took Over US Embassy.

--7.6 After Shock Keeps Nerves On Edge In Chile.

--FBI Reports Nothing Unusual Found In Malaysia Plane Pilot‘s Simulator.

--NASA Suspends Dealings With Russia Space Program.

--Former CIA Boss Morell Tap Dances Around Questions From Congress Benghazi Investigative Panel.

--US Trade Deficit Climbs 7.7% in Feb.

 

If you want to know what the future of TV is going to be all about, consider that Amazon Prime just outbid Netflix for the streaming of “24”.  And, it won’t be long until we all feel the new economics of this emerging, sure to be dangerous entertainment industry…until the next development changes everything, again.

 

The Voice is forging on with what appears to this tin ear to be a high level of talent. American Idol on the other hand have some contestants who just continually sing out of tune. Take AI’s CJ Harris, a nice guy with a great smile, good looking behind his guitar; the trouble begins when he opens his mouth. I like Alex Preston and at times Jessica Meuse and Jena Iren. I thought Dexter Roberts was pretty good last night, but may not be popular with the voters. Caleb Johns is good but he needs to enter the no screech zone at least once. I’m going for the bottom three of CJ, Sam Woolf and Malaya Watson (She seems like a nice person, but an irritating entertainer.) I would vote off lackluster Sam, but maybe it’s time for CJ to go.  Oh yeah, I started this Tidlet talking about the Voice. Right now there are just too many left for me to embrace and get selective. I like too many of them. Actually, I get so engrossed in the many great performances that forget to remember names. But, I’m getting there.

 

Red Sox Prez Larry Luchino has always been a huge Obama fan. So Far I’ve been able to suppress that inconsistency that could muddy my love affair with the Boston team. But now, it may be out of control. The radio ads promoting the Sox have started featuring the words President Obama spoke at the White House yesterday during a team visit. Say it ain’t true, J.D. Drew.

 

I remember back in the eighties two guys and me traipsing down to a large investment banker on Wall Street to raise money for a Publishing venture we were starting. The slicker than I operatives liked the package but not the idea that we only made money from advertising as a opposed to also  paying subscriptions. Today, investors don’t think twice about dumping billions onto advertising only revenue companies like Google, FaceBook or Candy Crush. Just wait, felt poodle skirts and skinny ties will come back too.

 

Conspiracy Book, Department:

The first Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan was a psychiatrist. The second fort Hood shooter Ivan Lopez was there for treatment of mental illness. Now I’m thinking Manchurian candidate, where Hasan implants post hypnotic suggestions that are triggered by certain movements in Joe Biden’s eyes

 

I see where Putin just divorced his wife of 30 years. No wonder he rode bare-chested. He was a living moving presidential billboard.

 

I should be playing golf today. Unfortunately I’m still winding down all of those activities that have kept me busy during the Winter. And that doesn’t count all of the different geezer groups where I’ve become a participant.

 

The US has spent more time, money and energy trying to put a Palestine-Israel peace together. We’re at it again, and Kerry is dismayed that the two countries continue to put up roadblocks to his initiatives – measures that are favorable to each of the two adversaries. Personally I think it is a conundrum, not the acrimony between the foes, but why we keep going back and back, ignoring history and the personal beliefs of each of the countries.

 

European conservatives led by Marine le Pen is now targeting the European Parliament for gains similar to those they have made in France. There is a growing feeling among citizens of Europe that the EU is gaining too much power, interfering with long held nationalistic traditions. Personally, I think it is something to watch.  It stirs my heart to see people not sitting back at larger government encroachment.

 

The Answer:

Everybody loved Eddie in the Beverly Hills cops series. I liked him in Trading Places. He also garnered fans for 48 Hours, Coming to America, The Golden Child, Best Defense, The Distinguished Gentleman, The Nutty Professor and many voice over’s, especially the Donkey in Shrek. To me, he was one of those rare characters who can light up the screen merely by being there creating anticipation.

 

I like the Fox 5-6 PM program, “The Five”. Fox is a classic example (MSNBC, CNN too) of the problem of so little real news. After an hour of the Five, every succeeding program pretty much says the same thing.

 

I have no late breaking news bulletins.