The Star of the Show

Oh, my goodness!! For several days now America has been locked in a bitter dispute among a few spoiled brats. These children include Barbara Walters and Star Jones What's-Her-Name.

Now, I know these two understand that the whole future of the universe depends on whether or not Star Jones knew or did not know she was to be canned in the fall. A second issue is whether Barbara WaWa was surprised by her Star's announcement.

On the major TV morning shows today, all four made major use of time discussing the matter. NBC appeared to use about half its second thirty minute segment on the matter.

I completely understand the problem, of course. The discussion is important because all the anchors of all the major network news/entertainment shows are bouncing around like little steel balls in a pinball machine. I turned on the tube today, and I had to check the channel numbers to learn which network I was watching. There were only a couple familiar faces.

The problem, then, is that all these anchors and producers and directors are struggling with their personal identity crisis. The snit between Star and WaWa simply serves to bring the crisis to the fore. Where there once was a lock between certain personalities and their networks, now there is a trend to drift casually around the scene.

The odd thing is that no one seems to have the upper hand. Neither network board rooms nor tube faces seem to control any of the situation. Therefore, there is no brand loyalty, either, on anyone's part.

The outcome of all this will be a strange duck, I suspect. The mass confusion will continue for a few weeks, perhaps months. It will reach out and encompass writers and ad agencies and electronics developers. The weavings of the party will look like a ball of rattlesnakes.

But it will eventually sort itself out. The various pieces of the industry will re-develop their own internal loyalties and mutual subserviences. Then things will drift along for some time before the next go-round of child's play. And the tabloids will again have something to print.

old karl

For a better understanding of Karl's warp, you might click on either or both the book links on the right. Some of the book can be read free, online. A full download costs about $7.