Recent pop culture events that hit the headlines or just plain intrigue
Tragic News re Barry Cowsill
A member of the singing group The Cowsills, Barry Cowsill, was a victim of Hurricane Katrina.
From the Cowsills' web site we learn:
January 4, 2006: We are deeply saddened to report that Barry's body has been found. The Cowsill family was just informed of this and more information will be posted on the site as it becomes available.
I did a little research and found this Cowsill review. It's not a great memorial as the Blogcritics nominate a Cowsill song as one of the worst cover songs ever.
Barry, may you rest in peace.
The Unkind Would Say It's About the Money
Why would a man widely known for being the epitome of youth and health present himself so sadly after a debilitating stroke?
Yes, the question puts me amongst the unkind. Yet I've always liked Dick Clark and think his recent appearance at the 2006 New Year's festivities was a bit sad.
The world of gossip was buzzing. Many expressed admiration for Clark's proud determination to continue on. Many said he certainly wasn't doing it for the money. I saw Dick Clark for a bit that night and while he still looks pretty good, he had difficulty moving his hands and tended to slur his words. All results of a stroke and not unexpected. Except this fellow made his living from talking and anchoring.
If it's not about the money than what is it about? For why would he sully his memory by hosting a show that requires proper speech, which he no longer has?
There are plenty of would-be hosts out there in great big America. Why doesn't a stroke victim step aside and let the younger set have a chance? Why doesn't Dick Clark take it easy, enjoy the fruits of his success, stay at home on New Year's Eve instead of braving the bitter cold?
I say it's about the money. For as long as the money can be milked, then I'm thinking Clark wants to milk it. If he was on the side of angels and championing the cause of stroke victims he could simply go on Oprah and tell his tale. Instead he positions himself in the same hosting position for which he was famed, while physically unable to do it.
Making the comparisons between 'the Dick Clark that was' and 'the Dick Clark that is' is now all too painful.
This year Clark's appearance might be a novelty, welcomed with kindness and good cheer by the American people. I suggest that if he shows up next year with that same slur it will get old real quick.
Article comments
1 - Michael J. West
re Dick Clark:
If it's not about the money than what is it about?
My guess? That he loved doing it.
The reason I don't think it was about the money is that, even if he DIDN'T appear, he was going to rake in the cash. He is the executive producer of the thing anyway--he was even the executive producer last year while recovering from the stroke, because New Year's Rockin' Eve is handled by Dick Clark Productions.
So if he hadn't appeared, he wasn't going to be stiffed out of any money. I think he simply enjoys doing it, really missed it last year, and wanted very badly to do it again.
2 - Lisa McKay
I agree that Clark's appearance was scary and depressing, but like Michael, I don't think money had anything to do with it. I think that there are some people who, regardless of their success or their financial status, feel dead if they're not working. In this case, he looked dead while working, but I'd hazard a guess that the prospect of doing nothing terrifies him more than the prospect of the grave.
3 - Mark Saleski
He was only the worst President ever and don't tell me not.
he not.
was that a sentence?
4 - Pat Fish
Michael and Lisa,
You could be right about Dick Clark. Re that money thing. But like Lisa I thought his performance was scary and depressing. Which makes me sound like I'm a bit cruel but I'm thinking a bunch of people are just afraid to say it. Maybe he'll recover more over the coming year and will be up to snuff next year. Maybe it was anticipation of getting better that propelled him to do the 2006 show. I'd accept that as a reason. If he goes on to 2007 in the same state, I'm sticking with the money logic.
If he doesn't then he should think about staying home.
5 - Michael J. West
He was only the worst President ever and don't tell me not.
I presume you lived through Nixon, too? Jimmy Carter may not have been a particularly effective president but he has the virtue of not having been a presidential criminal.