Media Hijinx

"Hijinx" is a funny word, as is "Hooliganism."

Anyway, today's is apparently "World Refugee Day." I feel for the millions of people who have been driven from their homeland due to the horrible conditions. But what I find insulting is that the only reason I know today is "World Refugee Day" is because Angelina Jolie is doing an interview with Anderson Cooper on the subject. I applaud her efforts to bring awareness, but I deplore the idea that it takes the star of "Tomb Raider 2" to bring it to light. What did they do before she came along? It's the media's fascination with celebrities whose hearts may be in the right place, but they take themselves too seriously.
The other sad media note today is about Dan Rather. Danny was the face of CBS news for years. He served at the network for 44 years. The guy makes one mistake, or rather, takes the fall for one mistake, and he's tossed out on his ear like yesterday's trash. I think it signals the official end of the network evening news dominance. Who needs to wait until 6:30pm to get a wrap up of the nation's news. Just turn on one of the many cable networks (I have a few suggestions ; ) to get in-depth analysis 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Dan is now reportedly headed to HDNet, a high-def network headed up by billionaire Mark Cuban. This may sound funny, but I equate Dan's exit from network news to Howard Stern's exit from terrestrial radio. Both men were titans in their field, basically re-writing the books on how its done. They inspired a new generation to do what they do. Both got a raw deal, and headed into uncharted territory for a new phase in their careers. Satellite radio is in its infancy, much like High-Defintion television. I wish the best for Danny. Godspeed, Danny Boy, Godspeed.