Ruminations

The nice thing about having my own blog is that every now and then, I can just shoot off a disconnected bunch of ramblings about whatever is on my mind. This is one of those.

On Entertainment:

• What’s wrong with American Idol? Because of changes in the show’s demographics and the fact that there are no real restrictions on telephone voting, the vast majority of voters are young white girls and women, many of whom vote on whom they think is the “cutest” rather than who really deserves it. Hence, the past three winners have almost been clones of each other, the last two of which (Kris Allen and Lee DeWyze) clearly beating better-singing opponents (Adam Lambert and Crystal Bowersox). African American finalist Michael Lynche never had a chance—would Reuben Studdard or Fantasia win these days? Unless they find a fix for the voting, the show will continue to produce these white-bread clones and the rest of the public will start to lose interest.

• Why are TV seasons so short? I remember when shows stayed on the air from September until May, when the summer reruns started. Now, it seems like every time a show gets going, its season ends. How can you really get excited about “Mad Men” or “Parenthood” when there are fewer than 10 shows per year?

• What happened to romantic comedies? I thoroughly enjoyed movies like “Bringing Up Baby” “The Philadelphia Story,” and “Pretty Woman.” They were good films, and there used to be many other romantic comedies worth watching. Now, it seems like they are all lame, formulaic nonsense. Too bad.

On Sports:

• Why is Dwight Howard allowed to foul at will? I’ve been watching the Magic winning the last two games against the Celtics, partly by physically attacking the Celtics players, and Howard is the chief offender. In addition, when any Celtics go near him, they are called for fouls. Maybe Tim Donaghy was right.

• Why do Tampa Bay fans deserve a major league baseball team? Here’s an MLB-leading team that was in the World Series two years ago, and none of the fans show up to what is clearly the major league’s worst ballpark. Then, when they actually come to a game, they ring cowbells. Please!

• Why did the NFL award the 2014 Super Bowl to New Jersey? Until now, no team playing in an open stadium in a cold climate has ever been allowed to even apply for a Super Bowl, yet New York is awarded one for a stadium that is not even built yet. The average temperature in New York on February 2 is 30 degrees—during the day. Yet, they are going to play a nighttime game in that stadium. I somehow doubt that if Green Bay, Buffalo, or New England had asked, they would have been considered. It’s a bad idea—the most important annual sporting event in the world should not potentially be decided by weather.

On Driving:

• Why do Boston drivers get a bad rap? I’ve been driving in Boston since I was 16, and the drivers are certainly aggressive, but they generally pay attention. In driving through New Jersey and Philadelphia lately, I realize that most of the drivers there are relatively unconscious. I’ll take aggressive any day.

• What happened to passing in the left lane? Several years ago, the government decided that gas mileage worked out better if people were told they could drive any legal speed in any lane, so they dropped from the driver’s manuals any mention about driving on the right and passing on the left. Big mistake. How many times do you get stuck on the highway between two or three yahoos driving the same slow speed next to each other? When you flash headlights at them, they look at you like you’re from another planet. Likewise, you’ve got testocerone-induced drivers passing at 90 MPH in the right lane, where most cars have a blind spot. Let’s start a movement to reinstate the left passing lane.

• Do we really need generic cars? There are some cars that are so generic that they don’t deserve a name…they should just be called “car.” For 2010, I place in this category the Toyota Corolla, Mercury Milan, Nissan Versa, Kia Rio, Buick Lucerne, Chevrolet Malibu, and Ford Taurus. My criticism has nothing to do with price, it’s about the lack of imagination that goes into producing and buying one of these lame vehicles. If you dislike driving so much, take the bus.