"Quiet Please...These people are talking!"

People have been talking quite a bit this week and it's only Tuesday. Maureen McCormick, Cloris Leachman, and John McCain are either selling a book, selling a television show, or perhaps even selling one's soul as promotional rocket fuel to make money or win the crowd over. Within the past day, a number of items have caught my attention leaving me to wonder, is this stuff for real?? I start with C-Span last night.

• C-Span is that cable network that people tune to when they're searching for the best way to go to sleep at night. This channel is to politics what ESPN is to sports. The difference is, on one of ESPN's channels you can watch a Lakers game from 1991 while over at C-Span, you can watch an old debate between Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter. Last night they chose to air a clip from earlier in the day where "Maverick" John McCain was leading one of his own pep rallys. Maybe you caught this on the news. If you didn't, a woman in the audience stood up to ask a question that McCain quickly interrupted. This was about Obama. The lady asked the Senator how it's possible that Obama (an "A0-A-RAB") is able to run for President after what happened with 9/11. McCain took the mic from her and set her straight. He pointed out that Obama is not an "A-RAB" but an American from a mixed family. You either wanted to stand up and cheer for McCain, or question who came up with the idea to plant someone in the audience to say such a thing. "No one stoops that low" he told the lady. If there are undecided voters like this who don't know anything about either guy in the running by now, please stay home on Election Day!
• "There's still one left to go" when it comes to former cast members of The Brady Bunch telling all the secrets about the show that we never expected to hear. This year, it's the ex Marcia Brady who is now making her rounds on talk shows to "spill the beans" about all the behind the scenes shenanigans that happened. The only cast member who didn't speak out yet is Ann B. Davis aka "Alice". She has written a few books however, none of them ever bring up her role on the television show. Now seriously, is anyone surprised by hearing all the stories of yet another former child star, a product of the late 1960's early 70's having some problem with pot, cocaine, heroin, or LSD? I guess the shocker is that of all people, Maureen is the last one you'd expect to be strung out...if it really happened. After hearing all the things that supposedly happened on the this show as well as others, it's amazing that there was anyone sober enough to let these shows go on to be as successful as they were. You'd automatically assume the whole Brady group spent those few years asleep in their dressing room "too sick" to film anything. I can imagine Executive Producer, Sherwood Schwartz going into everyone's room and poking them with the end of a broomstick to wake up. When a book comes out from Ann B. Davis about her alcoholism and sex addiction, I'll buy that book! This stuff is just a lot of hot air.
• A lot of folks take Dancing With The Stars too seriously. They even have the odds posted in Vegas about who will win and who won't. There are countless blogs, news items, television tabloid shows all working hard to cover this, in my opinion, "snoozefest". TV Guide is one of those publications that like to give the hit ABC show a lot of attention. This season, it's all about Cloris Leachman. This old lady who won Emmy's for her work on The Mary Tyler Moore show and for the younger folks, The Facts of Life (as Mrs. Garrett's sister before it "jumped the shark") has got quite the reputation for having a filthy mouth. According to "Insiders", meaning, "people who will never be identified", someone always walks out of there saying, "I can't believe she did that or said that!" You want to know something? You won't see her get the boot until there's her and one other person left. The show is enjoying it's highest rating ever because she's so unpredictable. If they cut her loose now, who will watch? They can talk to the press all they want and say she's chemically imbalanced however, she's not going anywhere yet. If you're one of those who have the show on your speed dial to vote every week, you're wasting a phone call. Get real! The filthier her mouth gets, the easier the execs at ABC can get to sleep. Just like politics in this case, your vote will not be counted!