People who just don't get it

This isn't about the rampant egos that have moved into TNA Wrestling. Rather, it's about others who've left their common sense behind.

Take for example the case of one Richard Heene, the reality-TV wannabe behind the "Balloon boy" hoax a few weeks back. Heene insists that his stunt wasn't a hoax, and said he entered a guilty plea to protect his wife, who otherwise might've ended up being deported to Japan. While I am not sure if that could possibly have happened under these circumstances, I do question Heene's sanity. He's already been convicted of fraud and will do a minimal amount of time in prison. However, he remains in denial about the truth behind his little stunt.

Then, there's Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who's whining about the NFL Playoffs cutting into his revenues. You see, the Dallas Cowboys, despite the fact that they now play their home games in Arlington, are still the #1 gate attraction in the area. Cuban's gripe is that the NFL and NBC decided to schedule Saturday's Cowboys-Eagles rematch for 8:00 (ET), directly opposite a Mavericks game taking place at American Airlines Arena. Cuban's afraid he'll draw more flies than actual paying customers. In contrast, you don't see anyone in the Boston area complaining about the Celtics competing with the Patriots for fan attention on Sunday, when New England hosts Baltimore in a 1st round game. They're used to that. The Cowboys, meanwhile, have shaken off the late-season-loser label stuck to them the last few years, and are primed to snap a lengthy playoff losing streak.

Cuban really doesn't need to worry about losing one night's gate receipts, but it wasn't so long ago that the NBA's Denver Nuggets were involved in a bit of an imbroglio with the WWE due to their involvement in the NBA playoffs. Post-season play takes priority, and Cuban should know that by now.

Next, there's controversial talker Glenn Beck, back in the headlines today for claiming that the phrase "African-American" is, in his mind, "bogus". Apparently, Beck loves to stir the pot, but his recipe for publicity has gotten worse as time wears on. The people are tired of his act.

Finally, we must call into question the thinking process of the programming suits at NBC, who are now considering moving The Jay Leno Show into late night due to a steady decline in ratings at the 10:00 (ET) hour. It was a risk putting Leno in prime time as it was, but it's clear that the average viewer isn't ready for a talk show airing in prime time on a broadcast network. You can get away with it on cable or syndication, but NBC, afraid that they would lose Leno to a competitor (i.e. Fox), wanted to ensure he'd remain on their roster. The news coming out of LA on Thursday now puts Conan O'Brien, who inherited The Tonight Show from Leno last spring, on the hot seat. NBC's made some questionable decisions before, but the final judgment on this matter won't be made until after the Winter Olympics next month. By then, there will probably be a compromise made to appease all parties. Here's an idea. Leave Conan where he is, and put Leno in the old Bob Hope gig of doing periodic specials. It's so easy on paper, but too complicated for the simpletons in power at NBC-Universal. What else is new?