Thursday, January 21, 2016

A collection of dunces

Time to hand out some Dunce Caps, and, oh, there are a few.

We'll start with music "journalist", and I use that term loosely in this case, Gersh Kuntzman. Formerly employed by the New York Post, Kuntzman had a short opinion piece published Tuesday in the rival New York Daily News. The latter paper's editors will get Capped as well for placing Kuntzman's piece next to a feature article detailing the passing of Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey, who passed away on Monday. While Kuntzman is entitled to his opinion, and he stated he isn't an Eagles fan, which is perfectly okay, the timing of his piece had most Daily News readers ready to tear him a few new ones in today's letter column. He has his supporters who share his dislike for the soft rock legends, but they were a minority, based on the layout of today's paper.

Had Kuntzman waited, say, two weeks, and published a longer point-counterpoint screed in another, more respected publication, like, say, Time, then he gets spared. Instead, he gets Dunce Capped for poor timing.

Daily News & New York Post editors will share the next set of Caps for the equally amusing but poorly timed decision to run back page photoshop pictures of New England Patriots QB Tom Brady in Wednesday's editions. The defending champs will face the Denver Pizza Salesmen (Broncos) on Sunday, and the trash talk between the two clubs is normal, ratcheted up with the graphic nonsense from New York. Brady was accused of whining to refs about getting sacked, which suggests that he is a real vanity case. Considering the Pats' bad reputation, this is the sort of thing that will backfire on Denver and QB/pizza & insurance salesman Peyton Manning come Sunday afternoon.

Then again, Brady gets one, too, for a poor choice of subject matter in trying to deflect the "whiner" accusations in a Wednesday press conference. Brady claimed he doesn't remember a lot of the alleged complaints because he's taken so many hits in his 16 seasons. In the eyes of the press, he was making light of one of sports' biggest health hazards, concussions, especially considering the movie, "Concussion", is playing in theatres. As a stand-up comic, Brady would be a curtain jerker on open mic night.


That moves us to the political arena, and a certain pair of Republican dimwits.

Former Alaska governor and failed vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin threw her support to Geezers on Parade front-runner "Dumb" Donald Trump earlier this week. At the same time, son Track wound up in jail on a domestic abuse charge. What Mrs. Palin is hoping for, and not likely getting, since the High Priest of Hot Air ain't getting the nomination this summer, is another crack at being VP. All we're seeing is the end result of poor parenting skills with (Wrong) Track being in stir, if he hasn't already been bailed out.

Like, who was Mrs. Palin's role model growing up? Bullwinkle?

On the other hand, Dumb Donald gets one for botching a Bible recitation at Liberty University in Virginia on Monday. Why Jerry Falwell, Jr. invited the Baron of Bloviation to Liberty, I don't know, but it certainly sounded like Trump hadn't seen the inside of a church since his last wedding, otherwise he'd know that the Apostle Paul's second letter to the Corinthians is referred to as "Second Corinthians", not "2 Corinthians", as it reads in shorthand in some Bibles. I understand the students got a few unexpected laughs.

Finally, actress-turned-political pundit Stacey Dash left her brains at home when she appeared on Fox & Friends on Wednesday to talk about Hollywood's hottest topic, the controversy surrounding the Oscar nominations, and why African American actors were being shut out for the 2nd straight year. Living up to her character in the movie & TV series, Clueless, Dash went so far as to suggest that Black History Month, celebrated next month, be abolished, and that BET, a Viacom owned cable network that houses reruns of her last series, The Game, would wave good-bye, too. Sorry, Stacey, but that's like fighting City Hall. A battle that cannot be won.

And, to the Academy voters who gave actors like Michael B. Jordan, whom the critics say deserved a Best Actor nod for "Creed", rebounding from the atrocity that was "Fantastic Four", the el snubberino, we also give out Dunce Caps, because, when Sylvester Stallone, who was never nominated for a Best Actor as Rocky Balboa in six earlier films, but was nominated for writing, gets a nod for Best Supporting Actor this time over a younger, more deserving actor, regardless of color, then you know there's a certain amount of political sentiment at work. There always is, but in this day and age, the Academy needs to take a long, hard look at the root of the problem. Itself.

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