Swimming to safety in a shocking way May 26, 2008
Posted by Chris Stover in Journalism, Random Rubbish.Tags: Babies, CBS3, Journalism, Swimming, Television
add a comment
What would a weeknight in my life be without watching CBS3 Eyewitness News at 11? A night without a blog post.
In broadcast journalism classes, they say most people don’t watch the news on TV, they listen. The goal of a reporter is to make the audience look. Just like Susan Barnett did tonight, beginning her piece with a shocking “adult-supervised video.”
She opens with a video of a baby - the youngest of toddlers - falling into a pool with no visible parents (though, again, it is being supervised). And the baby stays afloat for five minutes thanks to classes that teach children from 6 months to 6 years old how to stay above water in those situations.
At first, I was OK, thinking the video was created artificially a la Finding Nemo. Nope. It’s real.
After expressing my shock verbally in my empty apartment, I continued to watch with my jaw opened. I was still angry that the toddler was struggling (although, he didn’t appear to be struggling) to stay above water.
The classes offered at local YMCAs (more information at cbs3.com) put parents at ease. They say the first thing they stress is to have supervision constantly with children poolside. But toddlers are tricky, so therefore, these classes are supposed to help.
It’s a shocking thought, an interesting concept and a well thought-out video. So much so that it needs to be shared. Definitely worth checking it out.
Recouting ‘Recount’ May 26, 2008
Posted by Chris Stover in Cut to the Chase.Tags: Al Gore, George W. Bush, Movie Review, Recount
add a comment
It’s probably a movie that 99.3 percent of Hollywood wanted to take part in. But there were only enough characters for a few.
Tonight on HBO (2, maybe), I got sucked in by Recount, a movie chronicling the complexity of the 2000 presidential election. I turned it on and really couldn’t turn it off, so therefore, I recommend it.
Of course, expect a strong liberal bias. Kevin Spacey and Dennis Leary aren’t too keen on remaining objective in their roles, but hey — it’s Hollywood.
Despite knowing the outcome, Recount somehow keeps you on the edge of your seat. We see archive footage of Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather and Peter Jennings in addition to video from Fox News and CNN.
Side note: Remember what CNN or Fox looked like without the crawl at the bottom? Well, this shows you. I kind of miss those days.
There’s a scene where Al Gore is about to make his concession speech in front of thousands of supporters. One of his aides, who has a severe limp after pulling a muscle in his leg, attempts to stop the vice president because of breaking news — the numbers the networks were reporting were incorrect. Gore is steps from the stage, and the aide is trying his best to reach him. I haven’t been so worried since watching Simba vs. Scar in The Lion King.
It’s a very well done HBO film, but there are some flaws. The bias gets a little too goofy. Katherine Harris, the now infamous former Florida Secretary of State, was portrayed as a makeup-laden ditz. OK, all opinions aside, the performance by Laura Dern seemed a little too stereotypically blonde (Harris, though, is a brunette).
At the conclusion of the film (SPOILER ALERT: GORE DOESN’T WIN THE PRESIDENCY!) Spacey’s character is having a conversation with a Republican leader (paraphrased):
SPACEY: “Did the best man win?”
REPUBLICAN: “Yes.”
SPACEY: “Are you sure about that?”
REPUBLICAN: “I’m as sure about that as you are for your man.”
SPACEY: “I hope you’re right.”
After pans of a FEMA headline and Katherine Harris riding a horse after her Congress win, the credits roll. The song in the background? Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down.”
So…expect the bias, but Recount is an interesting movie to see. I guess it was made to reminisce about what could have been.
But, in my opinion as summarized by Dennis Leary’s character at the end of the movie in the most cliche of modern cliches, “it is what it is.” But dwell on the past anyway.
Life’s pleasure that only costs $1 May 25, 2008
Posted by Chris Stover in Random Rubbish.Tags: Dollar Store, Random Rubbish
1 comment so far
I never realized one of the greatest joys in life despite it being right around the corner from my house.
Garnet Valley, Pa., is one of the best places to live because we’re in Pennsylvania, the greatest state of the union, yet we’re a stone’s throw from Delaware, home of tax-free shopping.
While preparing for Alex’s Lemonade Stand, which is coming up in two weeks!!!!!, I decided to run to my local Delaware Dollar Tree to pick up some posterboard. The deal that they’ve had for as long as I can remember is 2 for $1.
So…I park my car, walk into the Dollar Tree, pick up my four sheets of posterboard, walk up to the cashier immediately, hand her $2, and walk back to my car. The entire process took about 43 seconds.
If you have a list of things you need to do before you reach a certain point (21st birthday, 30th birthday, death), going to a dollar store in Delaware should be in the top five.
Oh, and get a receipt as a memento.
Catching a break for Clinton May 24, 2008
Posted by Chris Stover in Journalism, Random Rubbish.Tags: 2008 Presidential Race, Hillary Clinton, Journalism, Rants
add a comment
Photo by Christopher Wink, TTN.
Oops, she did it again. At least, in the media’s eyes.
In the latest “blunder” the media ate up, Sen. Hillary Clinton is charged with being disrespectful by making a comment about Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1968.
When discussing other high-ranking officials telling her to get out of the presidential race, Clinton compared her campaign to her husband’s and RFK’s.
Her exact quote:
My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. I don’t understand it.
And her apology, just hours later:
Earlier today, I was discussing the Democratic primary history and in the course of that discussion mentioned the campaigns that both my husband and Sen. Kennedy waged in California in June in 1992 and 1968, and I was referencing those to make the point that we have had nominating primary contests that go into June. That’s an historic fact.
Perhaps her timing with the original comment was a little off after Sen. Ted Kennedy’s recent hospitalization, but really, there was no need for a formal apology.
Her point simply was, as she clearly stated, that RFK’s assassination occurred in June when he was in a heated battle for the Democratic nomination among Vice President Hubert Humphrey and Sen. Eugene McCarthy. What’s wrong with saying that?
I’ve already written a commentary for The Temple News that the media typically give Clinton a negative image, seeming to favor Sen. Barack Obama to win the nomination. Even after the ABC Debate blunder, my argument continues to grow.
Of course, I’m saying this as a journalist and not as a fan. Do I expect an equal amount of missteps to be reported for Obama? No, not at all. But I do expect the media to over-analyze every word he says as they do for Clinton.
Let’s just see what happens in June.
Signing off for good May 23, 2008
Posted by Chris Stover in Journalism, Philadelphia.Tags: Alycia Lane, CBS3, Dick Standish, Tom Lamaine
3 comments
Maybe it’s the water.
In my undying attention to detail, I’ve noticed that personalities just keep leaving CBS3. Here’s my analysis.
It began last summer when veteran reporter Marge Pala, who mostly covered Delaware, decided to leave. Then, in November, veteran anchor Marc Howard (who made the switch from6ABC a few years back) retired without much notice. Next, Alycia Lane decided to punch a cop in New York City, getting her contract terminated in December.
I learned the day before it happened that legendary reporter Dick Standish would also be collecting social security. To be trendy, yesterday, Tom Lamaine gave his final forecast on CBS3. And, to follow true Standish tradition, legendary reporter Robin Mackintosh will be retiring this summer.
That’s a loss of six people within one year (five voluntarily). They’ve picked up about four in that time, also. But we should expect similar things to happen in the next few years.
Since Philadelphia broadcasting is an obsession among many in the area (hence…this post), most broadcasters seem to get comfortable reporting here. Therefore, they never leave.
But all these people mostly started around the same time. Or they’ve been around long enough to be graced with the adjective “legendary,” as proved by this post. And we’ve reached the tipping point - the point where they all retire very close to each other.
So in a news town like Philadelphia, it’s easy to get attached to people, and it’s hard to see them go. But at least we had them in the first place, right?
Besides…all this means is more jobs for me! But that’s neither here nor there.
American Idol Recap: Some knockout… May 21, 2008
Posted by Chris Stover in Cut to the Chase, Random Rubbish.Tags: American Idol, David Archuleta, David Cook, Television
1 comment so far
If only the judges’ comments were enough.
More than 97.5 million votes were cast on Tuesday night for the season 7 winner of American Idol. And 12 million people separated the votes.
And the one who received 56 percent of the vote? David Cook.
David Archuleta’s continuous awkward smile never even left his face.
I was rooting for David A., and I was shocked when Ryan Seacrest coyly announced David C. as the winner. I thought it was a joke, but clearly not. That’d be one sick joke.
It is a well-deserved title; neither David C. or A. were in the bottom two or three throughout the entire competition. Even Simon Cowell said he honestly did not care who won because they both deserved it. That’s when you know you have a good competition.
It’s my personal belief that David C. didn’t really want to win — he didn’t want to be bound by the extensive contracts an Idol typically goes through. And, in my personal opinion, David C. would have had a much better chance at making it had he not won than David A.
Surely, someone will pick him up. But who’s David A.’s target audience? As my hip cousin pointed out, she doesn’t want him singing some ballad about love at the ripe age of 17 years old.
But it is what it is. Despite the corniness of the boxing theme, the season 7 finale was fantastic. The competition throughout the entire season (minus a select few, as in Jason Castro, Kristy Lee Cook, Ramiele Malubay and Chikezie) was fierce and unpredictable.
Seriously…who had Syesha in the top 3?
The personal highlight for me was seeing Philadelphia favorite Renaldo Lapuz perform with the USC marching band. That moment right there sold the night for me.
To quote Mr. Lapuz, we are bwothers fo-ever.
Here’s for the next 100 May 21, 2008
Posted by Chris Stover in Philadelphia, Random Rubbish.Tags: 76ers, Flyers, Philadelphia Eagles, Philadelphia Sports, Phillies, Rants, Sports
1 comment so far
Sports Illustrated has put together a slideshow commemorating 100 season in Philadelphia sports history without a championship. Found this courtesy of TTN’s new Web editor Dave Isaac (Photo courtesy Sports Illustrated.)
This 20-page photo slideshow allows us to relive the past missteps, mishaps and misery of the past 100 seasons of the four big teams - Phillies, Sixers, Flyers and Eagles.
It truly is an embarrassing thing to view, chronicling 25 years of Philadelphia sports blunders. Apparently, that’s a record for a four-sports town.
Just like the Phils’ 10,000th loss last year - this is only one more milestone to check off the list.
Behind the Byline: Covering a campus shooting May 19, 2008
Posted by Chris Stover in Clips & Videos, Temple University.Tags: Campus Shooting, Philadelphia Police, Rants, Temple University
add a comment
A few posts down, you saw how my colleague LeAnne Matlach and I covered a shooting on the immediate outskirts of Temple’s campus. As a refresher, here are the links to all the stories:
Shots fired at 15th and Norris - spot news coverage of shooting
Temple responds to shooting - e-mail sent to Temple students
Search still underway for shooting suspect - after some researching, I found some priors
No TU-Alert a louder message after shooting - colleague Shannon McDonald gives her take on the response
So…here’s the story…
Mommy, I have a stomachache… May 19, 2008
Posted by Chris Stover in Journalism, Random Rubbish.Tags: Babies, CBS3, Random Rubbish
add a comment
Some posts just don’t require an accompanying photo. Example…here.
Every now and then, CBS3 has a completely random, thought-provoking story on their Web site. And here’s one of them.
Long story short: A 9-year-old girl in Greece had a stomachache. She decides to go to the doctor, who operates and finds that girl’s embryonic twin inside her stomach.
WHAT?!?
Apparently, this happens in one of every 500,000 births. Now, according to WikiAnswers, obviously the most trusted source in embryonic studies, the population of the earth increases 200,000 every day. That means that every 2.5 days, a twin is born in its twin’s stomach.
So, do I live in a rock, or do these twins just never surface?
Hey Day? No way. May 19, 2008
Posted by Chris Stover in Journalism, Random Rubbish.Tags: Temple University, University of Pennsylvania, Ann Weaver Hart
add a comment
While perusing the competition’s Web site, I decided to check out some of the Daily Pennsylvanian’s videos. I stumbled upon the latest about what they apparently call Hey Day.
The University of Pennsylvania’s President Amy Gutmann actually declared, “By the power vested in me…I now pronounce you SENIORS!”
Temple kids — can you see President Ann Weaver Hart making such a declaration to us? Can you imagine Temple students acting the way Penn’s did?
Maybe it’s the whole 4-year graduation thing. I mean, who really is a senior anymore? It’s almost 35 percent who graduate in four years…and after the fourth year, everyone’s technically a senior of some sort.
Anyway…I thought it was interesting. Plus, I have a little crush on President Gutmann. (Sorry, President Hart.)
