Another clue that life is not fair

Back in College when I was getting a degree in Communications (which I guess I only use to write this blog) I was very involved with the student run on-campus TV station. We only went by closed circuit cable to the dorms, but we took it very seriously. Many people vollunteered countless hours to make a variety of News and entertainment programming. I usually worked on the entertainment side- I co-created and produced a cooking show, worked on the entertainment magazine show and helped to get our "Roommate Game Show" on national college television (it could actually be a very funny show- I wish I had tapes of it)

I became program director of the station at the end of my Junior year- meaning I was in charge of the entertainment side of things. The news director at the time was a very ambitious sophomore who had anchored our weekly newscast that year. His name isn't important he's famous enough now already. He was central casting anchor - very tall with blow dryed anchor hair and cliche anchor voice- emphasizing all the right words. I had been around the news at the station for three years already and had seen some very good and some very, very bad anchors. This kid was a natural and so naturally I hated him. He had all the arrogance and aggressiveness you would expect- he was mature beyond his years - he also looked older. During the summer he was able to get a job at a station in his Arizona hometown. I had an internship thst summer at channel 6 - he had an actual on-air reporting job - he was about 19. I didn't like the fact that he was a bit conservative in his politics (I seem to remember) and in another great anchor tradition he was not that bright. I'm sure he did OK in school, but he was obviously much more serious and focused on the News on A-TV (yes that's what it was called). We had run ins a few times about equipment and editing time which was always scarce. Unfortunately the News usually took precedent and I lost. One time I helped him out by doing camera work for him on Capitol Hill - he was doing stringer work for that station in Arizona. I don't know if they could use the interview I shot- maybe there was a technical problem.

During my senior year I got a great opportunity to work on the news side- although not under the auspices of Anchor hair. We worked with a national college network and I had produced things for them in the past so they asked me to produce college "newsbriefs" - several colleges around the country were doing them- they were news of general interest to college students. We would try to keep the stories in our part of the country (Washington DC). I handpicked the anchor for the job which paid actual money- a great rarity at A-TV. I knew right away I could only do them with Allison Fisher. She was another anchor / reporter who had worked on both entertainment and news shows. I was always impressed with her professionalism and poise and she was also very nice- the opposite of Anchor Hair (Although she did have good hair) We split the writing chores for the briefs and would go into the studio before the news on Sunday nights to tape the breifs. Allison was very reliable and took any small direction I might have. I remember helping her learn to use the teleprompter - a new device to her - its harder than you think. I always thought that Allison had a great shot to make it in TV news if she chose to. In addition to her obvious talent and intelligence she was also an African-American woman which in the news business at the time was not really a handicap and maybe even an advantage. I could always imagine Allison as a trusted anchor on a local newscast somewhere and then who knows what else?

Of course after college I lost touch with both Allison and Anchor Hair. I figured they were both working in TV somewhere. I did keep in touch with some other people from the station but information was usually hard to come by (we did have another Alumni, Craig Stevens, who is still an anchor on a Fox station in Miami, as far as I know)

The next time I saw Anchor Hair was on god damnned network TV - it must have been about ten years later and he was doing one of those stupid spots where the anchor holds on when a hurricane tries to blow him away. Already on network news and not out of his twenties yet. I think he also had a show on MSNBC and he is now a network white house correspondent. I still have trouble watching him - I wonder if his producer has to write all his scripts and has to feed him questions. Why can't somebody I like be sucessfull? Somebody who would get me a job. He was even on "The Colbert Report" recently - that's what made me think of him again. Anchor Hair could become a network anchor and one of the most famous people I have ever been acquainted with - but I can't be that happy for him. I guess nice guys don't get to do that job.

The next time I saw Allison's name was in the Alumni bulletin- not for some great new position she had attained or a marriage, or a new baby- it was just a note in the "In Memoriam" section. Allison ahd died the previous Spring. I didn't want to believe it and I tried to find information about what had happened - I was pretty sure it was the Allison I knew by the class year. I finally found out through the grapevine that Allison had died of breast cancer- I think she was about twenty-eight. Her parents formed a foundation in her memory and I went to a fundraiser for their scholarship fund a few years ago. A bunch of people from the TV station were there and we all had that same respect and great expectations for Allison. We also talked about Anchor Hair. Everyone knew he had worked hard for what he had achieved, but that didn't mean we thought he was a great guy. And I think we all still wish we could be tuning in to the network news tonight to see Allison instead.

Obviously

Recent headlines about actual deaths from "Bird Flu" haven't caused any mass hysteria over here in the USA. Maybe its because we are so easily distracted by shiny objects and the recent four hour premeire of the best TV show on the air "24" (OH my god - terrorists!!)

But the other reason is just so right out there that no one will mention it. I haven't heard it referred to by John Stewart or David Letterman (I don't watch Leno) or on NPR. Come on people Bird flu breaks out in Turkey? When you think about it -it seems obvious. Why were we so worried about these Asian countries? What about this country named after a bird (don't challenge me on facts- as far as I know Turkey is Turkey) Why they must have Turkeys running around like sacred cows in India. Hopefully they have it under control and it won't spread right now. I think newscasters (real and fake) are afraid to mention it because they might have trouble stifiling a snicker and a guffaw and witty repartee with their perky co-anchor.

"Well, Syndee how about that Avian flu - in Turkey - I mean, who would have guessed, you know??"

"You're right Bob, although the country may or may not be named after the bird they have been one of the first countries to be hit by......"

Watch out "Turkemenistan" and Bird in Hand, PA and Lady Bird Johnson and Big bird and can you believe they are trying to make Chloe into some kind of a sex symbol on 24?? I mean she is cute in an interesting kind of way, but she won't make the guys tune in and I don't think Jean Smart as the first lady is going to be able to make up for it.

The Score

Of course the real spirit of the holiday season is about being with family and acknowledging long ago miracles that still inspire us. But we all know its really about what gifts we get- especially when in comes to shallow people like me who put their gift list on their blog. So now as a public service for the few of you who did not get me anything on the list (and you know who you are) here is what I did and did not get (yet).

My sister Abby, who is the pretty, smart and efficient one, got me three of the 11 items on my list and she didn't let her husband give me his old I-pod speakers so he could get new ones. Tally: Star Wars DVD, Hodgman and Feinstein books.

My Dad fell for the idea that the electric toothbrush would be a practical gift and he actually got me that. Way to take a hint, Dad. It has improved my brushing exponentially I'm sure. I hope my Dental Hygenist will be pleased- but I'll bet they'll still tell me to floss more. Dad and Susan also got me a shirt from LL Bean- it can be worn both casually and to work. Now the impractical thing they got me was also one of the coolest- a traveling cigar humidor and three good cigars. The humidor is a black plastic that looks like it would block gunshots. I'll be able to bring back cigars from even the most dangerous countries. Tally (2 of 11 - running total 5 of eleven)

Alex and Melissa had to be more creative and not follow instructions. They actually did give me a corduroy shirt that is a great color for me (kind of a dijon mustard) and it did come in an LL Bean box, but I don't know if its an LL Bean shirt. Our family is notorius for saving old boxes just for this purpose. They also got me the "Black Book" a bestseller about Pick-up-Artists and their methods and lives. I'm not sure why they gave me this- why I could have written it. Tally (1 (maybe) of 11 running total 6 of eleven)

Now Mom is notorious for creative gifts. We can almost always expect a wealth of items from the dollar store mixed in with our bigger gifts. This year: crayons, chap stick, a tambourine and some clay. Also this year a cookbook written by a friend and former co-worker who went on to work for Martha Stewart- very nice. But so far - nothing from the "list". The last thing she gave me to open was an electric keyboard "survival kit"- a box with earphones, a power adapter and learing software. What is this? Do I go buy my own keyboard now? One of the gifts I predicted no one would get me??
"Just go look under my coat" Mom said motioning over to the rack. There it was - a way cool Yamaha Electronic piano just like I wanted. But just calling it a piano would be selling it way short because it can play almost any instrument you can name. Also drums and sound effects. I felt just like a kid on Christmas afternoon / first night of Hannukah. Total tally Seven of eleven items on my list (about 63% if you're wondering)

Still availible to purchase - The Eagles Encyclopedia, The Harry Potter half blood prince book, and an I-pod speaker system. I already bought my self the Wilco CD (yes - it is great) Now about that X-Box - maybe if you just let me borrow yours for a while I'll get bored with it and I won't need one anymore. Come on just for a few weeks.

Oh, I also gave some nice gifts too- most of which probably won't be returned. (Sorry Abby -yours are on the way).

Another Tradition

The age old question of what Jews do on Christmas often seems to come up. X-mas is hard to ignore - as I've written here a few times. There is one of those true cliches about how Jews eat Chinese food on Christmas eve - used to be they were the only restaurants open. Saturday Night Live did one of their few funny pieces of the year a few weeks ago - it was a cartoon video called "Christmas for the Jews" It was a 60's pop sounding thing sung, appropriately enough, by Ronnie Spector. All the Jews were out on the street strolling, driving the streets with no traffic and building snow men in the shape of the cast of Seinfeld.

For about the last thirty years on Christmas day it has been our tradition to go to the movies. Nowadays this is a very popular thing to do, but I'm telling you years ago it was pretty empty. We started in 1978 with Superman.
I remember one year Mom, Alex and Abby came down to DC when I was living there after college. We went to see Bugsy that year and who was in the audience but the legendary Jack Valenti of the MPAA. No one else knew who he was but I thought it was cool. He was very tan. I think Chicago was an x-mas movie one year. Last year we saw The Aviator which I liked a lot - especially Cate Blanchett as Katherine Hepburn. In the last ten years we have seen The Royal Tennenbaums, The Talented Mr. Ripley and Shakespeare in Love (I think). A pretty good list of films considering we usually have five or six people trying to come to a consensus to pick a film each year. Often Aunt Terry and cousins Emily and Elizabeth also come along.

This year Mom made a sacrifice and let us go see a film she had already seen- Walk the Line, the Johnny Cash bio with Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. We were all glad she did too, because it ws one of my favorite Christmas movies ever. Phoenix and Witherspoon were every bit as good as we had heard. They both made you believe that Johnny and June fell in love despite all the obstacles. The way Joaquin looked at Reese you could see that Johnny would have died without June - probably literally. Most actors don't get close to that emotion- although its not hard to imagine falling in love with Reese- I think I may have. It also had the added attraction of great music, including a bunch of Cash songs I didn't know. If you're thinking he's pure country you're wrong- he's really a great mix of country, blues and Rock and Roll. The actors did all their own singing too, a big leap that they made effortlessly. I always wonder how many of the stories in these bio films are true - did Johnny's lead guitarist Luther Perkins really make up the solo in "Folsom Prison Blues" right on the spot? Did June really.....well I don't want to give away the ending if you don't already know it. Go see the movie. Especially if you like good music.

Coming very soon: The Gift List Results