Do you know what kind of news makes the front page of the local and national newspapers?
Whatever the most sensational item of the day is.
What if nothing is really happening? Doesn't matter - pick something and make it sound surprising, newsworthy, or even shocking.
This pattern of pandering and seeking entertainment value works its way into every level of the news. Here are some "interesting as a flavored rock" Hollywood headlines I saw today that came in on the wire along with my "expert" commentary
:
'Batman Begins' Wins At Box Office
Wow.
Batman Begins' second week took on such fierce competition as
Bewitched (A movie that would only be recognizable as more than a cliche to those over 30) and edged it out by only 6.4 million this weekend. This captivating AP release was mimiced, passed along and rewritten by over 10 papers around the country - and those are just the ones that came into my in-box.
'Shooting begins Wednesday on 'A Prairie Home Companion' film'
Ah yes, a Robert Altman film with a "star-studded" cast about the fictional final broadcast of Keillor's weekly radio show. This should rake in millions (at least 6 or 7 I should think) and is definitely worthy of being sent all over the ether to be reprinted by the willing editors that eagerly await other people to send them stories (heaven forbid they have to write their own news!)
'Thumbs up: 'Hitchhiker's Guide' uses satire to find life's meaning'
I only mention this one because it has been on the newswire since before the movie came out. I am serious, now. Every day, multiple times per day, for over 9 weeks now this headline has been appearing as coming from the Waterloo Cedar-Falls Courier - as if we hadn't seen it the other 999 times it was sent. Somebody in that office is stuck in one of Douglas Adams' time warps or sitting at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe sending an email and not realizing that all people on the face of the planet will be receiving it ad infinum until they either a) go back in time and eliminate the sender from ever visiting the restaurant, or b) Vogans come and destroy all email on the planet eart... or the entire planet, whichever is more convenient.
So what's worthy of being headline news? Why, whatever will sell or get reprinted!
Hope ya'll have a great day - just thought I'd share some "news comedy" with ya.
