844...You Heard It Here First

The Jacksonville Jaguars are going to move to Los Angeles at the end of the 2010 season.

My reasoning is three fold.

First off Sports Illustrated had a note in their August 31 edition indicating that the Jags have already announced that none of their home games are going to be on the tube this year; the protocol for an NFL game being televised in its home market is that it has to sell out about two days in advance. To announce two weeks before the season that you don't think you will sell out any games does not show a lot of confidence in the market.

Secondly I was out drinking with a couple of folks from the Philly Flyers' front office and they predicted such a move.

Thirdly, Los Angeles and Orange County are wide open. Second biggest market in the country, long history of football on all levels. Jacksonville is the 53rd biggest market in the country. To put that in perspective, Wilkes-Barre Scranton, Pennsylvania, the home of The Office, is number 52.

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617...Do You Need A Shower?

You will after reading this. Michelle Lanz on Wonderwall, an MSN product, offers this disturbing little piece of information from the formerly famous:

Call it a case of mistaken identity or just plain gross, but Ryan O'Neal recently admitted to Vanity Fair that he accidentally hit on his estranged daughter Tatum O'Neal at Farrah Fawcett's funeral. This shocking quote, along with many others, can be found in the September issue of Vanity Fair, available on newsstands in New York and Los Angeles on August 5 and nationwide on August 11.

Um, for starters, who goes to funerals to pick up women? And then hitting on your daughter. Guess we know who is back drinking.

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574...And Baby Makes 44 000 Dollars

Associated Press moves the heartwarming story of Milkshake girl Kelis' new baby boy, Knight, born Wednesday in New York City and the equally heartwarming story of a Los Angeles judge awarding her 44 000 USD a month in child support from her ex husband, Nas.

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466...Mmmm Chicken

It's Toonie Tuesday in Ottawa and it is also Michael Jackson's funeral.

A coincidence?

I think not.

Rachel Hauraney reports from her desktop that at 2:20 this Toonie Tuesday this was what was going in Los Angeles: "...and now at the MJ tribute, Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant are talking about eating KFC versus real chicken with Michael... For the record."

He has had his last taste of the Dirty Bird.

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389...Michael Jackson Died Thursday

Ladies and gentlemen, Michael Jackson died Thursday.

Radio died right along with him. Most radio stations just kept John Tesh rolling, Ryan Seacrest babbling and voice tracking mindlessly ploughing through the playlist.

When John Lennon and Elvis Presley died, decades before consolidation, national program directors and big chains controlling everything from Toronto, Montreal, New York and Los Angeles most stations were immediately broadcasting on-air tributes, news accounts and playing wall-to-wall dead guy music.

In my town the only station that I heard going wall to wall Michael was the station that I am with, 93.1CKCU, which has, and this is a positive, a laissez faire attitude towards programming. Although the hit stations in town, TAG FM, KISS and HOT did talk about Michael Jackson they also played the songs that were programmed weeks, days, months ago. If anything, CFRA, the local right wing news talker and CBC ONE, the lefty news talker, were more on the story than the contemporary stations.

Not hating, just stating.

Score one for local TV, like Local4 in Detroit, stations that were out on the street in their towns and a big one for the Internet.

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355...Ed McMahon, Later

Ed McMahon, 86, most famous for his work as Johnny Carson's sidekick on The Tonight Show, V.3, from 1962 to 1992, and as the host of Star Search from 1983 to 1995, died earlier today in his hometown of Los Angeles.

Mr. McMahon, who's signature phrase was "Hereeeeeeeeeeeeeeee's Johnny", also was a Marine pilot in World War Two and in the Korean War. He ended his military career as a Brigadier eneral in the California Air National Guard.

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304...Do You Know Who Heidi and Spencer Are?

Me neither.

They are sort of on the current NBC TV show "Get Me Out Of Here, I'm A Celebrity".

They used to be on a show on one of those music channels that don't play music anymore.

May be they still are.

Anyhow, Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt were on Today yesterday morning and were upset with the way Al Roker treated them. He is the weatherman by the way, and Today is not exactly Meet The Press.

The headline in EW.com says it best:

Heidi Pratt [sic] says Al Roker 'attacked' her: In other news, Heidi Pratt loves fame.

They were all over Larry King Live tonight on CNN and Ryan Seacrest's KIIS FM, Los Angeles, radio show crying the blues.

From Today and YouTube here is the interview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vT-m7hY7K4Y&feature=related

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236...Tony Awards, Last Night

On CBS. Or may be NBC. Perhaps FOX. Definitely not on ABC coz that is where Kobe was.

You missed it too? Thought so.

When you break it down, the Tony Awards are a throw back to the olden days of TV, like really olden, 1940's, 1950's, when TV, American TV, was a reflection of New York City[and later, Los Angeles] popular culture to those in the hinterlands.

Canadian TV is still in that stage, reflecting, on English TV, Toronto or a Toronto centric view of the Canada, to those in the hinterlands; for French TV substitute Montreal for Toronto.

Breaking out of that construct is key.

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218...The World Ended Forty Years Ago Today

It was June 5, 1968 when Robert Francis Kennedy won the California primary and virtually ensured himself the Democratic nod for the Presidency.

It was also June 5, 1968 when Sirhan Sirhan ended RFK's run for the office of the President of the United States of America with a volley of bullets from a .22 calibre pistol.

May RFK's eternal soul rest in peace.

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