-Media

I'm watching Liz Taylor's discussion with Larry King Live, hearing all the horrible things said about Elizabeth Taylor, and being bombarded by Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's new baby.

It's amazing, with the millions being killed in Congo, the many hundreds of thousands in Darfur, AIDS, hunger, poverty and reality, that a sleazy photographer can make over a million dollars by taking a picture of a newborn baby and its parents against the family's wishes. Or that a movie star, whatever her history, is declared dead, insane, or demented.

In the NPR-sponsored project, "This, I Believe," people, famous and plebian, talk about what moves them, what is at the core of their belief. I believe in the baselessness of the commercial media, their ability to search for the paying story, no matter how base, so long as it sells.

Fortunately, I also believe in the concept of 'Tikkun Olam,' the fixing of the world. I believe that for every despicable, amoral, money-grubbing person, there is at least one person trying to solve an important problem facing the world.

I hope the good guys win. And I hope Elizabeth gets to enjoy her new career, and Angelina and Brad their new son, without having to deal with vultures masquerading as 'the press.'

Leonardo Would be Having a Good Laugh

The furor over the movie version of the Da Vinci Code is pretty funny. Calling a book of fiction heresy strikes even religious Catholic friends of mine as funny.

"Oh, yeah, we keep our albino monks under SPF 200, but for a good contribution into the plate I can let you talk with one," one friend said. [5/21 postscript: There is a monk named Silas @ the NYC office!]

My writing groups are up in arms about the poor quality of the writing as well. There are analytical pages about Dan Brown' questionable style and grammatical manglings.

I think a good escapist movie is a great thing to see. And no one ever accused Barbara Cartland of amazing writing.

Entertainment should not be confused with reality. No matter how close some morons might believe the resemblance.