Friday, December 08, 2006

For a PS3, Clooney and Bollywood, a more 'real' COPS - 12.8.2006.2

In odd news, have you heard that a radio station offered a unique exchange. In return for a PS3 parents would receive a babysitter – a 24 year old bachelor with no experience with children, who stated he might take the kids to a bar with him. The station received 61 calls, only one from a man, to take up the offer. Why do these people who wanted the offer have kids? How can anyone be so, in my opinion, stupid? To give their child to a stranger, one that openly admits his inability to provide for the welfare of a child, for a minor material gain – that is to me a definition of bad parenting and insanity. By the way, according to Fox News on Friday the 8th @ 11.27am, those parents that sought the deal were reported to child welfare services. Who knows if that will have an effect, but one can only hope there will be a positive one.

Going further into the odd and perhaps stupid is news of the latest reality television show. (Why are they still making this crap?) This one doesn’t take place on an island or exotic landscapes across the country. This is based in Muncie, Indiana. Five B-list entertainers and celebrities have become part of the Muncie Police Department, and will be followed by cameras as they help to protect and serve the populace there. If I lived in Muncie I’d be scared.

While Mr. Eric Estrada may have the benefit that he is best known for his role as a California police officer, I cannot see the same potential respect going to Ms. Latoya Jackson. While each of the entertainers and celebrities were required to pass the same tests as a regular officer (Which seem insanely simple to me. Anyone should be able to run a mile and a half in 16 minutes, 30 sit-up in a minute, and 25 push-ups.) they will not be allowed to go off on their own. Each is accompanied by a regular officer. Still with the potential for danger that any confrontation with the law may provide this sounds like a bad idea. Muncie may feel that this will highlight their police force but I feel this diminishes the role and respect the police play in any community. Perhaps I will be wrong, and if so I will be happy to learn of that. Anyone who watches this television program is welcome to let me know what happens, but I will not be one of the viewers.

Continuing with the weekend of odd things, there is news that Mr. George Clooney desires to perform in a Bollywood movie. For those unfamiliar with Bollywood it is the Hindi film industry that features song and dance in it’s movies. I have seen some movies, the names of which I don’t recall now, and found it interesting though I don’t understand the language. Seeing a film in a foreign language is not a bad thing though as for me it allows me to focus on the acting and forces me to be immersed in the world the film creates. It works well for watching a play in Russian or Bollywood films, for me, and not as well when watching a film like Soul Plane. Yet to see Mr. Clooney in such a film would be interesting. Good actors should be good in any language, as are good movies. Passion of the Christ, classics like The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and others have long ago proven that. We’ll see what happens.

No comments: