A Bout of Randomness

Clearing out some of the cobwebs in the head:

So, we're into round three of the Republican primaries, and the reality show that it's become just got more clouded. Mitt Romney's faltering, Newt Gingrich is still Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum now has a win under his belt, and Ron Paul is still a crazy ol' man who might have some solid points if it weren't for him being a crazy ol' man.

And, then there's the jester: Stephen Colbert. I'm actually going to be interested to see how many of his core audience actually go out and vote for Herman Cain today in South Carolina.

Whether you like him or not, the whole point of Colbert's gambit is to draw attention to the issue of money in politics in general. If you haven't watched (or don't) his show, then you've missed one of the best, simplest explanations of the Political Action Committees that you may ever see. And having along former Federal Elections Commission chairman Trevor Potter as Colbert's lawyer makes the whole thing that much more enlightening -- and frustrating.

The whole thing just goes to show you how easy it can be for people to spend money to get their speech out there to the masses, by hiding behind organizations who aren't held responsible for what they put out there.

And as many a candidate can tell you, whether true or not, an advertisement from a Super PAC has just as much a chance of derailing a campaign as anything else nowadays.

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OK, am I the only person out there that doesn't have a reality show?

This one's been chomping at me for a bit, as I started seeing ads on CMT for "My Big Redneck Vacation" and "Bayou Billionaires." I'm sure these are all interesting people, but are we at the point that we'll just point cameras at anything and call it entertainment.

And it doesn't end at shows like those.

Skimming through the channel lineup one mid-afternoon, and there's talk show after talk show starring people that I have no idea who in the blue blazes they are. Oprah was at least an actress, and had her show start locally. I know who Tyra Banks is. I've seen pictures of her and seen her on TV.

But Bill Cunningham (airing locally on KTLA)? Jeremy Kyle (Fox 11)? Who are these people?

I had the unfortunate instance of seeing the Jeremy Kyle show one afternoon while sitting in a restaurant. It was your typical reuniting family members fight and cry and host asks nasty questions trying to get a rise out of people. In other words, annoying.

Of course, it's my choice not to watch -- and I don't. Most, if not all, daytime TV is pretty vacuous. I suppose they can argue that it's just a form of telling interesting stories. Just wish they could do it without always appealing to the lowest common denominator. It's starting to feel like the movie "Idiocracy."

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Lastly, went out and saw Loma Linda Academy's basketball teams play Thursday night. Good games as a whole (great for the girls, who won by 36), and wish I could get out to more sporting events (if you're reading this, and you have your team's schedule, feel free to e-mail it in -- never know when I might pop up to take photos).

Anyway, there were a few things that jumped out at me during the night.

First, the full cheer squad was there for the entire girls game. But, only half of them stayed for the boys. And they didn't cheer on the floor for the boys. Don't know if I've ever seen that the case. Interesting.

Second -- and it's beyond ticky-tack and petty, so apologies -- but team's should look like teams. And that includes the shoes. Look, I know that sports aren't the focus at LLA, and really shouldn't be at any school. And I know that shoe companies aren't knocking down the door to help the students here. And that shoes aren't cheap. But everyone should pick a color and stick with it. Does it affect the way they play? No. But it does mean you're a part of a team.

And lastly, about midway through the third quarter of the boys game, I remembered why I hadn't missed basketball. Fouls. Lots of fouls. And a parade of people to the free throw line. Luckily, it never got completely out of hand Thursday night. But I've seen games that just drag on and on when a game is called close and the game becomes a free-throw contest.