Chad's spot for various thoughts, musings, poetry, ideas and whatnot

Wednesday, May 15, 2002

So Ok, I'm watching ET this evening to catch the teaser trailer for the Matrix movies and they have this report on the new Kelly Ripa book club. They ask Kelly what the selection criteria for the books are and she says something like, "The book has to be frivolous and fun and have absolutely no message." Now maybe I'm missing the point here but ISN'T THAT WHAT MOST NETWORK TV IS FOR?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? I don't mean to go off on a rant here, but when was the last time you saw something of any real value on Network TV? Seinfeld was considered good by most and it was a show about NOTHING. I figure if you're actually going to take the time to read a book and get involved and actively participate in your own entertainment it ought to have some sort of meaning. You should actually learn something when you read. Now here comes this woman with the intellectual firepower of a peashooter and she takes a book that's languishing at around seven millionth on the best seller list and makes it number one on the basis that it is her favorite book right now that LACKS ANY MEANING. IS THIS WHY WE WENT TO ALL THE TROUBLE TO CREATE THE PRINTING PRESS ALL THOSE YEARS AGO?!?!? I mean if you wanted to do something that lacked meaning you could have watched Friends tonight or any number of other meaningless things found on TV. Or better yet, you could have picked up an engaging copy of that deeply insightful and nationally recognized cultural icon, People Magazine, and have all the nothing you wanted. Heck, with People you get to read about all the Hollywood nothing you can possibly digest. So much so that many Americans overdose on it and have to be made to read articles from the New Yorker or the New Republic or suffer permanent brain damage. You think I'm kidding? Look around. I'll bet you'll see a lot of people suffering from People Magazine induced brain trauma right now. If it gets bad enough, all these people can actually read is the Weekly World News and the National Enquirer. I figure that's what has happened to Kelly Ripa. Too much People Magazine so she comes up with the Book Club for Idiots. I'm just waiting for her first book on Elvis' favorite donut recipes.

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