FAKIN' IT

ESPN "SportsCenter" has been doing "fake" press conferences this week, with former Mets GM Steve Phillips answering questions as if he was the GM for several MLB teams (the Yankees, the Cubs, Red Sox, etc.). (Of course, the Red Sox job is open, but I doubt Steve is going to be let near a major league team any time soon, and this fake shit can't look good on his resume.) Not only that, but they made ACTUAL SPORTS REPORTERS, Buster Olney and Jeremy Schaap, ask questions! Holy craap. Who thought this was a good idea? I guess ESPN's thinking is, if you can't get any ACTUAL sports news, why not just make shit up? I don't understand what's happened to SportsCenter, and the whole of ESPN for that matter, but it's turned into a complete pile of garbage. Between the endless pregame shows, poker tourneys, and "analysis" featuring assholes (Michael Irvin) blindly defending other assholes (Terrell Owens), I can't stomach it anymore. Three words to ESPN: JUST SHOW HIGHLIGHTS!
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Speaking of fake, NBC showed a special Sunday episode of their political drama "The West Wing", fake debate featuring their two presidental candidates, played by Alan Alda and Jimmy Smits. It aired live and was even hosted by an actual NBC newsman, Forrest Sawyer. I don't know how the ratings were, but no doubt it had more viewers than a real debate would. However, this is the most disturbing thing I've heard about it: "By 2-to-1, Sunday's viewers told [polling company] Zogby that they preferred watching a fictional presidential debate to the real thing." (from CNN.com). Holy crap, this country is getting stupider by the day.
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So let's talk about the real ELECTION DAY, when we, the people, get to speak out and be heard! Sort of. Not only did Californians vote down some major reforms by the Schwarzenegger administration (now, say those last two words out loud: it's fucked up, right?), but Mayor Bloomberg won the NYC re-election in a landslide, which I guess is, uhm, not totally unreasonable. But my favorite topic by far is the teaching of science in our schools, primarily, the theory of evolution. For every one of these stories:

Pennsylvania voters oust school board (11.09.2005): Voters came down hard Tuesday on school board members who backed a statement on intelligent design being read in biology class, ousting eight Republicans and replacing them with Democrats who want the concept stripped from the science curriculum.

. . . there is, unfortunately, one of these:

Kansas school board redefines science (11.08.2005): At the risk of re-igniting the same heated nationwide debate it sparked six years ago, the Kansas Board of Education approved new public school science standards Tuesday that cast doubt on the theory of evolution.

I can't believe these two diametrically opposed curricula are being taught simultaneously in the SAME COUNTRY. It's beyond crazy. I think I'd rather live in the fake country run by Jimmy Smits.
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Speaking of fake breasts (okay, not the best segue, I admit), two Panthers cheerleaders were arrested this weekend for causing a disturbance at a bar after allegedly having sex in a bathroom stall. Beer, football, lesbian cheerleaders--what else is there? I have to go. I can't even concentrate on typing this blog anymore.

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ROCK N' ROLL STINGER
McCartney to beam concert into space

And let's hope it stays there!