Sexual Abuse of CHILDREN by PRIESTS?!? All Over The World?!? ENOUGH!!! Oh...And Happy Easter!!!

By the time this blog is finished and posted, it will be April Fool's Day. Is that what we have running the Catholic Church? A bunch of "fools"? Here's a news flash, guys. You ain't funny!

There are a lot of people here in the Los Angeles area who think that Cardinal Roger Mahony should be in prison. There's a Cardinal who used to be in the St. Louis area who seemed to imagine himself to be a John Wayne type, but all he really was/is a bully with a fancy title. In fact, the Catholic Church seems to have a lot of guys like that who are in "power" positions. Guys like Pope Benedict XVI, a guy, who while a Cardinal, knew a lot about pedophile priests and seems to have done nothing about them except to maybe suggest that these priests go somewhere else and do a lot of praying. One assumes that would be praying for forgiveness, but because a lot of these pedophile priests ended up going to different locations where they could sexually abuse other children, one wonders if the praying they were doing had to do with hoping that a new "assignment" would be sooner rather than later.

WHOA!!! Am I being too HARSH, here?!?

I don't think so.

We have been hearing about these renegade priests who have been sexually abusing children for YEARS!!! And yes, every once in a while, one of these priests gets convicted of something, but if we're honest about this, REAL punishment...Punishment that FITS this horrendous crime...
Is seldom what happens.

Okay...Let's take a deep breath (we'll start with me), calm down and take into account what we're really talking about.

Catholic family. Kids in that family. Being raised as Catholics. Some of them become altar boys. Some of them want to be altar boys. Some of them become altar boys because their parents want them to be altar boys. It doesn't matter how they became altar boys. What matters is, the people they would be working with (priests) are people who represent God! If I'm a parent of one of those alter boys or if I'M one of those alter boys, I'm figuring my kid is in good hands or I'm in good hands.

Sadly, in too many cases, we've learned that the hands on many of these priests were whacha call, "straying hands". Hands that are used to probe. Under the underpants that children were/are wearing.

And in many cases, that was just the beginning of what those "straying hands" would do.

Can you imagine the humiliation that must have been felt by these children? We have read countless numbers of stories that were made public 20, 30 and 40 years after the humiliation they experienced because they were too "embarrassed" to tell anyone.

ORRRR...In many cases when a child would try to tell their parents what happened, their parents wouldn't believe their children because in their minds, nice Father Freddy is a man of God, for crying out loud and when did my kid become a liar?

Yes, things are different now. I think it's safe to say that most parents are "on guard" these days because of all the horrible stories everyone has heard about these rogue priests. But think of all the children who have been mentally damaged because of these priests. And how about the Catholic Bishops and other leaders who did virtually nothing about this problem except for the terrific job they did of KEEPING IT QUIET for who knows how many years?

It's not quiet now. In fact, the Catholic Church is very much on the defensive. So much so, they're sounding like a bunch of right wing talk show hosts who blame the media for the problems they're having.

What can be done about this? Well, if the Pope isn't going to do anything except tell priests and Bishops to pray more, maybe the Pope should be fired. And if firing the Pope is something the Catholic Church doesn't allow, some good prosecutors should put together a case that could result in jail time for the Pope. I mean there seems to be evidence that if anyone wants to look at it, that shows Pope Benedict XVI (when he was a Cardinal) knew about priests who were child abusers and he seems to have done (virtually) nothing about it.

But there are a lot of current Catholic Cardinals who seem to be guilty of the same thing.

Is it time to seriously consider putting a broom to much of the leadership of the Catholic Church?

And I want to go back to the punishment issue. Punishment for these child abusing priests. REAL punishment! Punishment that involves these creeps disguised as men of God being put into prison. And when they arrive at prison, they are given a cell mate. A big cell mate. A big cell mate who is in prison because he was convicted of multiple brutal rapes.

If nothing else, that punished priest would now/then have something to seriously pray to God about.

And speaking of GOD....

Where does he, she or it play into all of this sexual abuse of children by priests?

True believers believe that God, Jesus, Allah or whatever other name you want to attach to what is believed to be a Supreme Being, is in fact (or we believe) someone who is Our Creator, The One Who Watches Over Us, etc., etc.

You see, if I'M this Supreme Being who is watching over everyone and I see a whole lot of priest people who claim they are representing ME, I would be making it my business to see to it that these priests (or anyone else who was claiming to represent me) were doing their best to make me look good.

I mean, isn't that what a CEO of a company does? And if you're a believer, isn't it safe to say that the CEO of the UNIVERSE is GOD?!?

Just askin'...

OTHER SUBJECTS...

Did you get your Census form filled out and mailed? If you didn't, we're told that Census people will be knocking on your door and if you refuse to fill the Census form out then, you could be fined up to $5000. If you're like me, when you saw the Census questions, weren't you tempted to answer none of the questions? And maybe what you were thinking about writing on the top of the page is what I was thinking about writing? Which was, N.O.Y.F.B. ?

Nah, I didn't do it, either. Just filled it out and mailed it.


Have you been following that Sandra Bullock story? Jesse James sounds like the same kind of dog that Tiger Woods is.


Speaking of Tiger Woods...He will be answering questions from reporters, Monday, April 5 at 2pm Eastern time. He will begin play at the Masters, Thursday, April 8. Will his wife be there? No one knows. The way all these publicity hound women he had affairs with are talking and talking and talking some more, you gotta wonder if Tiger's wife can find the strength or a real good reason to "forgive" him. Cheating with ONE person is something that most wives and or husbands aren't real thrilled about. But when you know that your spouse has cheated on you with what seems like (to use a military term) a battalion of members of the opposite sex, forgiveness is probably the last thing I'm thinking about. The first thing I'm thinking about? My damaged pride. Second thing? Murder.

Just keepin' it real...


It is now April Fool's Day and I don't know what made me think of this, buuuut....April Fool's Day is an "anniversary day" for me. This will be the first time I've ever written this and I know I never made mention of it all the years I was regularly on radio and or television.

April Fool's Day, many years ago, was the first day I worked as a professional radio broadcaster.

Happy Anniversary, Scott.

Thank you, Scott.

Just gettin' silly. True story, though.


THE 28th AMENDMENT!!!

I know. We don't have a 28th Amendment. This involves the idea of having a 28th Amendment.

This idea was sent to me by two people who are friends of mine. The first person who sent it was Patrick Emory, a guy I've known for more years than either one of us admits to being old.

Patrick was leaving a radio station to become a television star on the same day I was hired at that radio station. A number of years later our paths crossed again when he was hired to do television news in St. Louis and I was a radio talk show host in St. Louis. Patrick Emory also was a television news anchor here in Los Angeles, but he made his biggest mark as a long time television news anchor for CNN.

The other person who sent me this 28th Amendment idea was Edwin Craig, a long time stage, film and television actor who has been a friend of mine here for more than 20 years.

I could write an essay telling you why this idea is being proposed by these two men, but I won't because I've learned that people who read this blog are people who don't need an essay to explain the "why" of something that is "obvious" to you.

Proposed 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution:

Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and/or Representatives; And...Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and/or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States.

For the very few of you who might wonder about the possible redundancy of an Amendment like this, you would be wrong. People in Congress get better "arrangements" involving retirement, Social Security and Healthcare benefits and they are also exempt from some laws the rest of us would be prosecuted for. This 28th Amendment idea would put us all on a level playing field, which is where we should be.

Yo, Tea Party People! Get your teeth into THIS idea!!!


CHANGE IN PLANS...

I planned to write about questions regarding death and questions about Year 1. We are now in Year 2010. Year 1 was decided by what, whom and why? I now plan (hope) to be writing about these subjects when I write the next blog on April 7.


ENTERTAINMENT STUFF...

Have you ever heard of Travis McGee? He was a fictional detective type character that was created by the late John D. MacDonald. 21 books about this character were written by MacDonald. I read every one of them.

Almost 30 years or so ago, I interviewed MacDonald on the radio several times. He had a few conversations with mostly television people about doing a television series or movies of the week about the Travis McGee character. Because he had taken a liking to me, MacDonald wanted to try to include me as a regular character that McGee knew well and for the most part was friendly with.

I had conversations with MacDonald about two possibilities (for a series or movies) that didn't get finalized and he was still trying to make something happen when he died.

I bring this up because it looks like some Travis McGee films are going to be made. If everything works out, it will be a "franchise" situation involving several films based on several of MacDonald's books. In other words, like the Jason Bourne franchise based on the late Robert Ludlum books. As we all know, Matt Damon plays Jason Bourne.

If this Travis McGee thing works out, Leonardo DiCaprio will star as Travis McGee and Oliver Stone will be the Director and or Producer of all the films. Me? I'm now too old to play the character John D. MacDonald had in mind for me.


AND SPEAKING OF FRANCHISES...

If you care, I'm sure you know that it was recently announced that the television show, "24" will go off the air after this season of shows ends. I have seen every episode of "24", so needless to say, I'm sorry that the end is near. The end as far as television goes. We are told that a full length feature film version of "24" will be made after the series has ended and if the "24" film is a hit, then more "24" films will be made.

QUESTIONS AND OR COMMENTS? Write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net and I will respond to you immediately. Don't write to the blog because there's no way for me know your email address so I won't be able to respond to you. Again...write to scottstjames@sbcglobal.net and I will respond to you immediately. All "Anonymous" emails are ignored.

THE NEXT BLOG? Barring unforseen circumstances, late Wednesday night, April 7 which means a posting of early Thursday morning, April 8.

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Do The Tea Party People and Republican Lawmakers SUPPORT or CONDEMN Racial Slurs Directed At Democrat Lawmakers? It's Truth Telling Time!!!

Regular readers of this blog know that I have supported the passion shown by the so-called "Tea Party" people because as a political activist myself, I welcome all (legal and respectful) activism.

I've never written this before, but I will tell you that I have been in email contact with several Tea Party people in different parts of America, people who are "leaders" in their geographical areas. I have discussed things I disagree (and agree) with them and never once have I read or heard these people say anything that smacked of racism or gay bashing.

I haven't spoken or emailed any of these people about what happened this past weekend, but they will read what I'm about to write now.

YO, Tea Party people and Republican lawmakers!!! Your SILENCE is DEAFENING!

I know your beef with President Obama and Democrat lawmakers isn't just about "health care", but the "health care" issue is what was voted on this past weekend and while Democrat lawmakers were walking to where they were supposed to go to cast their votes, African American lawmakers were subjected to loud racial slurs and an openly gay lawmaker was subjected to slurs about what HE is.

Threats that the FBI is investigating were also made which is also bad, but most of those threats appear to have been in a less "open" way, so I want to go back to what a lot of people heard and saw this past weekend.

It's showtime, gang. As in, it's time to declare what you stand for, are prepared to tolerate or prepared to condemn.

Look, regarding this health care business? The only thing I know for sure is that changes to what we've been living with need to be made and I don't know ANYONE who DISAGREES with that. Are the changes that have now been signed into law the changes that (over the long haul) will be considerably more beneficial to us than what we've HAD?!? I don't know and if this bill isn't overturned, I don't think any of us will know until at least 10-years from now.

Feel free to argue about that until your faces turn blue. In a respectful and civil manner.

But when you declare your opposition by including loud racial and gay insults, only two things happen.

(1) The only thing most folks remember about your activism is your loud racial and gay insults.

(2) Inquiring minds like me wonder if non responding (to these outrages) Republican lawmakers and Tea Party leaders are silently CONDONING these publicly spewed racial and gay insults.

A simple question that deserves a simple answer is being posed to you Republican lawmakers and Tea Party leaders. And while we're at it, let's include some well known talk show hosts who have subtly or in some cases been openly guilty of race and gay baiting in the past.

Here's the question: Do you SUPPORT the race and gay insults that were yelled this past weekend?!?

If the answer is, "Yes!", stay silent or show your true colors by standing up and saying, "HELL, yes!!!"

If the answer is, "No!", speak up because your silence, while deafening, is also not a "cause helper".

SPEAKING OF "CAUSES"...

Helping the troops and or spouses and children of troops.

Excuse my fractured English when I say, "Ain't NOBODY more supportive of helpin' the troops and or spouses and children of troops than a guy like ME who was RAISED in a military family and who also served his OWN little "Tour of duty".

I wasn't any kind of multiple medal military guy. I left the military in possession of a "Good Conduct Medal" which some would suggest MUST be COUNTERFEIT and there was medal I refused to accept because I thought that what they wanted to give it to me for was the result of something stupid I had done.

And I've never claimed to be "A GREAT American!"

Oh, you know where I'm going with this, right?

Sean Hannity. He wraps himself in the Flag sooo much, I keep waiting for him to wear a Flag SUIT!

He's had this (what appears to be) very nice charity thing involving what he calls, "Freedom Concerts". Concerts that have been held in different cities for several years. Tickets have to be purchased and other things are sold at the concerts. If you're not playing close attention when you hear Hannity talk about an upcoming concert, you're probably left with the impression that darn near every dollar raised goes to help severely wounded troops and or surviving spouses and children of troops who were killed in Iraq or Afghanistan.

I've never listened to his "pitches" closely, either. But one thing I know about "charities" is that because of loose regulations, money collected can be used for all kinds of "expenses" before a dime is given to the charity that's being touted. Shoot, I've had telemarketers tell me about the disgracefully low amount of money that goes to charities from money pledged by people on the phone. Overall, the telemarketers themselves and their bosses seem to get way more than the particular charity does.

I bring this up because of a commentary written less than a week ago by a very conservative blogger who has been on Sean Hannity's show more than a few times.

Debbie Schlussel is her name and she says she sent an email to Hannity's private email address with a list of questions she wanted to ask him about information she had uncovered about his "Freedom Concerts". She says that Hannity never responded to her, so she went ahead and wrote the story that is now all over the internet. In this commentary, Debbie Schlussel claims to have seen tax forms showing a tremendous amount of money raised from these Freedom Concerts being written off as "expenses money". Money, that among other things, pays for the use of large private jets. She also lists what she claims to be very accurate low percentages of money collected that went to suffering troops or surviving family members. Instead of me listing things she wrote with the documentation she offers, you can simply read her very long commentary by going to http://debbieschlussel.com or if you have trouble finding what you're looking for, feel free to ask me for it scottstjames@sbcglobal.net and I will email her commentary to you.

The headline above Schlussel's commentary is, "Sean Hannity's Freedom CONcert Scam: Almost None of Charity's Went To Injured Troops, Kids of Fallen Troops; G5s for Vannity?"

Again...I'll be happy to email you this commentary if you would like me to. Send your request to scottstjames@sbcglobal.net

A SUBJECT THAT IS BEING DELAYED...

Last week I said I would cover a couple of questions that are burning a hole in my little pea brain and perhaps in your (much larger) brain as well. Questions about death and who made the decision (the day the decision was made) that this/then was the day YEAR ONE was beginning. We're now almost three months into YEAR TWO THOUSAND TEN (2010). How, why and by whom did "year one" begin?

I'm postponing these subjects until next week.

I'm going to end this week's blog with a joke, but first,

ENTERTAINMENT STUFF!!!

First of all, has there ever been good television competition like the competition we're supposed to choose from every Tuesday night at 10/9 Central time?

I mean, you have "The Good Wife" on CBS, "Parenthood" on NBC, "Justified" on FX and "Southland" on TNT. All four of these shows are TERRIFIC shows!!! If I had to choose one, I would choose "The Good Wife" and right now, there is a way to see three of these shows every week. "Justified" is shown a second time on Tuesday night at 11/10 Central time. "Parenthood" is shown a second time on Saturday night at 8/7 Central time. "Southland" seems to be shown only the one time (Tuesday) each week on TNT.

"American Idol" is now down to 10 singers. I thought the judges were a little rougher than they needed to be on several of the singers last night (Tuesday), but the right person was eliminated tonight (Wednesday). Teen Idol, Miley Cyrus was the "mentor" this week, I thought she did a good job and I thought the new song she sang tonight was very good. I also liked the fact that in a conversation with Ryan Seacrest, she stuck up for the singer who did a "slide move" the night before and was mercilessly barbecued by the judges for doing it. You had to see it to know what I'm referring to, but I liked what the singer did and (obviously) Miley Cyrus did as well.

One New Film and Two Old Films that I Liked...

First, the new film. "Green Zone". An action packed story about Iraq and a Chief Warrant Officer (played by Matt Damon) who wants to find what we supposedly went to Iraq for. The infamous and non-existent WMD, otherwise known as Weapons of Mass Destruction. And when Damon realizes there aren't any WMD, he becomes annoyed and all hell breaks loose. Amy Ryan is very good as the big time newspaper reporter who was duped by administration officials and Greg Kinnear is very good as the sleazy Bush official responsible for "selling" this WMD nonsense that has caused us to spend billions of dollars and resulted in many deaths and life altering injuries suffered by our troops and their families. Good film.

A 1993 film I saw for the first time. "The Pelican Brief", starring Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington with terrific supporting performances by (among others) Sam Shepard, John Heard, John Lithgow, Tony Goldwyn, James B. Sikking, William Atherton, Stanley Tucci, Cynthia Nixon and Robert Culp, a very fine actor who died today at the age of 79. While walking, he fell and died. We never know when it's coming, folks. Unless we're really sick. Culp figures to have been caught totally by surprise.

Back to "The Pelican Brief". It's a John Grisham film that was directed by Alan J. Pakula so I don't have to tell you how good it was-is. If you haven't seen it, you figure to be able to find it where I found it. On one of the cable channels.

A 1964 film I saw for the first time. "Kitten With A Whip", starring Ann-Margret and John Forsythe with very fine supporting performances by (among others) Richard Anderson and Peter Brown. Here's an example of how time flies, folks. Next month, Ann-Margret will have a birthday. And on that day, she will be 69. That means she was 22 or 23 when she starred in "Kitten With A Whip" which was her 3rd or 4th film.

In this film, Ann-Margret plays a teenager who has escaped from a mental ward after stabbing a mental ward official. John Forsythe plays a guy who has political aspirations, his wife is out of town, he extends a helping hand to the Ann-Margret character because of a sob story she has given him (he doesn't know about the mental ward thing yet) and when he finds out who she really is, he can't get rid of her.

Yes, she is a very bad and very mean girl this Ann-Margret character is and I "bought" her character completely. The way this film ends is in a way I didn't see coming and that added to the enjoyment I had of the film.

After seeing her and Elvis Presley in "Viva Las Vegas" on TCM during an Elvis marathon on his most recent birthday, and being enthralled by the chemistry between those two, I told friends of mine it's a darn shame those two never did another film together. I also stated that I was of the opinion that despite her many accomplishments, Ann-Margret is arguably the most under-used major talent in the history of the film business. And after seeing "Kitten With A Whip", I have no reason to change my view about her.

I'm ending this week's blog with a "joke" I hope you enjoy. It was sent to me by a long time reader and interesting stories provider, Dave, from Missouri.

And it goes like this...

A woman pregnant with triplets was walking down the street when a masked robber ran out of a bank and shot her three times in the stomach. Luckily, the babies were okay. The surgeon decided to leave the bullets in because is was too risky to operate. She gave birth to two healthy daughters and a healthy son.

All was fine for 16 years until one daughter walked into the room in tears.

"What's wrong?" asked the mother. "I was taking a tinkle and this bullet came out.", replied the daughter.

The mother told her it was okay and explained what happened 16 years ago.

About a week later, the second daughter walked into the room in tears. "Mom, I was taking a tinkle and this bullet came out!"

Again, the mother told her not to worry and explained what happened 16 years ago.

A week later, her son walked into the room in tears. "It's okay!" said the mom, "I know what happened. You were taking a tinkle and a bullet came out."

"No!" said the boy. "I was playing with myself and I shot the dog!"

Thanks, Dave!

THOUGHTS AND OR COMMENTS?

Write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net and I will respond to you immediately. If you write to the blog, there's no way for me to know your email address so I will be unable to respond to you. All "Anonymous" emails are ignored.

THE NEXT BLOG?

Barring unforseen circumstances, next Wednesday night (late), March 31.

Is Glenn Beck Insane? I Think I Know The Dirty Little Secret Surrounding The Acceptance Of Illegal Immigrants! Rulers Are Needed By Ryan & Simon!!

A lot of reader reaction regarding my questions about "our origins" commentary in last week's blog. I thank you for that and in next week's blog, I will bring up the subject of "our ending" and wonder about who made the decision (and why) to declare "year number 1" which has led us to where we are now. Which is year 2010

But first, these items...

President Barack Obama has really been pushing for health care reform and it looks like it might finally be voted on sometime this coming weekend. Meanwhile, most elected members of The Party Of NO!!! are howling, howling and howling some more.

And maybe they're right. I don't pretend to be smart enough to know the best ways to get the health care REFORM that we need, but I AM smart enough to know that we need SOME reform and I'm also smart enough know that members of "The Party Of No" have brought nothing to the table except objections.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS...

Lots of talk about possibly doing something about the illegal immigrant(s) issue once this health care reform business has either been passed or defeated.

The thing that most people talk about is coming up with a way to give amnesty to 12 million or 20 million or however many million of these lawbreakers there are in America. Of course the people who want something positive passed for these illegal immigrants swear that they're not advocating "amnesty", they're simply advocating something passed that will be "fair" for these illegal immigrants. Something "fair" that will put the illegal immigrants on a pathway to American citizenship.

Before I tell you what I think America's dirty little secret about illegal immigrants IS, I want to say how much I object to bending over backwards for criminals. The way our laws are written now, illegal immigrants are criminals. They are breaking the law. That makes them criminals. Why is that so difficult for so many people to understand?

The American people who DO understand that illegal immigrants are criminals are "Joe and Jeanette Six Pack" people. Or, "Everyday People", like Sly and the Family Stone used to sing about.

And these American people are mad as hell about how these criminals are allowed to roam free here while taking jobs that a whole lot of out of work American people would like to have, if for no other reason than the paycheck.

So...Why DO these illegal immigrants get the free pass they get unless they kill someone or steal from someone and get caught?

Okay..."Everyday People" think the way illegal immigrants are treated is unfair. Not to them! To US!!!

I can't prove what I'm about to say, but if someone had the resources to LOOK INTO what I'm about to say, I think there's a good chance they would learn I might be onto something.

Have you noticed that the "big people" or what are often known as "The Haves", are people you never hear a peep out of when it comes to illegal immigrants being any kind of burden on the rest of us?

No, in fact, the "big people" and or "The Haves" tend to be folks who HIRE illegal immigrants and they pay them less money than they would have to pay legal American citizens.

If you stop and think about it, isn't it possible that (for a long time) the "big people" and "The Haves" have quietly sanctioned and been in favor of what I'll refer to as "A Slave Based Economy"?

If you can come up with a better phrase than that, I'd love for you pass it along, but THINK ABOUT THIS, FOLKS!!!

Think about when it was legal to put Africans on boats, bring them to America and sell these African human beings to American human beings as SLAVES!

Hell, the "big people" and "The Haves" liked that situation/system sooo much they were willing to fight a war to try keep the system in place.

Fast forward to what we have now. Mexicans. Carted off in trucks like slaves. Having to live 30 or 40 to a house which isn't as good as what African slaves had.

If you are a regular reader of this blog, it's because you're interested in stuff like this so (for now) I'm not going to write anything else about what I have presented you to think about. And I know you will. There are some "blanks" that need to be filled in if I'm onto something and there are written bombs you can choose to drop on me if you think I'm way off base.

Either way, I'd love to hear from you, soooo...

Thoughts and or Comments? Write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net I will respond to you immediately.

Other Stuff...

Is it possible that Glenn Beck is insane or on the verge of insanity? A lot of people don't care about this guy one way or the other and the reason I often hear regarding WHY they don't care about him one way or the other is because, "HE'S NUTS!"

Hmmmm....Insane, perhaps? I mean, this guy has been "all over the place" recently. And the many inconsistencies?!? You know who he's beginning to remind me of? Howard Beale. The fictional guy from the classic film, "Network". If you saw that film, was there any doubt in your mind that Howard Beale was insane? Yes, there was a lot he said that made sense, but was there any serious doubt about the fact that he ENDED UP being insane?

I ask again...Is it possible that Glenn Beck is....or on the verge of.....???

And Speaking Of TV People Who Are "Out There"...

Am I the only one who has stopped watching Sean Hannity and Keith Olbermann because I know what they're going to say before they say it? They both are too predictable and they both are too one-sided. Translation? Borrrr-ing!!!

There has been some serious back biting at Fox News about Glenn Beck and one of the biggest (if not THE biggest) back biter is allegedly Hannity, a guy who now has the third highest ratings on Fox News because Beck now has the second highest ratings. O'Reilly is number one.

Back to Hannity...I don't know how his radio show is doing in other parts of the country, but here, on KABC, his ratings aren't nearly as good as they once were.

TIGER WOODS!!!

In case you hadn't heard, Tiger Woods has announced he will soon be playing golf for the first time since he had that little traffic accident. Tiger will play at "The Masters" on April 8. If he makes the cut, he'll play through April 11. If not, he'll be done on April 9. The television ratings figure to be huge.

Oh...Here's what I think is a great line that was written by a letter writer to the L.A. Times; "If Tiger wins the Masters with all he's been through in the last few months, then the rest of the PGA Tour should just take up bowling!"

TELEVISION STUFF...

I enjoy watching "American Idol". Anyone who cares about that show knows that Simon will leave "American Idol" after this season ends because Simon will be moving to a show that he'll be the producer of. There's still a couple of months or so to go before this season ends, but there's something else I would like to see end long before that. This creepy thing that seems to be going on between Ryan and Simon. If you watch the show, you know what I'm talking about. An "American Idol" reporter for the L.A. Times made mention of the tension a few weeks ago and the last couple of weeks it's gotten worse.

Bad form, guys. I think I'm qualified to know something about "shtick" and I've seen a lot of fake stuff in wrestling and on other so-called "reality shows". What you guys are doing is real, it looks real and it's on the verge of being embarrassing. On tonight's show, Simon seemed to be trying to play the role of the "adult" and hopefully this (whatever it is) has ended. If not, they need to get their rulers out, do the measuring off camera and then.....END IT, GUYS!!!

Back to the 11 remaining singers on "American Idol"...If the voting was being done right now, I think the new "American Idol" would be a young woman. Siobhan Magnus. Her only serious competition seems to be another woman, but Ms. Magnus is the one to beat. Unless someone gets better in a hurry, I don't think any of the guys will be a serious challenger. Buuut...As the great sportscaster Al Michaels once said, "Do you believe in MIRACLES?!?" Shoot, it was less than a year ago when we all thought no one could beat Adam Lambert.

TELEVISION DRAMAS AND FILMS ON CABLE...

Another terrific episode of "The Good Wife". That show is SO well written. Tuesday nights at 10, 9 Central, on CBS.

Another terrific episode of "Parenthood", too. A show that's on the same time as "The Good Wife", but "Parenthood" is shown again on Saturday night at 8 which is 7, Central time, on NBC.

And another show getting good buzz is "Justified", starring Timothy Olyphant on FX, Tuesday at 10pm, 9 Central. They showed their first episode last night and I'm not convinced it deserves the hype it's getting, but I do plan to watch the second episode. Yes, Tuesday night at 10 has gotten whacha call, crowded.

If you're like me, this lousy economy is keeping you home. With that in mind, here are a few films I saw on cable during the last few days. I didn't like 'em all, but here are the ones I did like.

A 2002 film called, "High Crimes", starring Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Amanda Peet and James Caviezel. High drama, can't take your eyes off it and one person ends up surprising us, big time.

A 2001 film called, "The Medicine Show", starring Jonathan Silverman, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Greg Grunberg and Kari Wuhrer. The chemistry between Silverman and Wagner is terrific and I couldn't help but wonder why Wagner (one of Robert Wagners daughters) hasn't had the film career she deserves, because this woman can act. Sadly, this is something that happens to a lot of very talented actors.

"Charlie Wilson's War". This is a film that came out a couple of years ago and it's a true story about a Texas Congressman named Charlie Wilson who was quite a character and who died about three years before the film came out. It was directed by Mike Nichols and the script was written by Aaron Sorkin, the guy who did most of the writing for the great television show, "The West Wing". Tom Hanks played Charlie Wilson. The film also starred a very good Julia Roberts, an off the charts adorable Amy Adams who played Hanks' assistant, Philip Seymour Hoffman in a terrific performance as a CIA guy and Ned Beatty in his most effective role since he played Arthur Jensen in the classic film, "Network". I liked this film a lot.

In closing, R.I.P, Peter Graves.

THOUGHTS AND OR COMMENTS? Write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net. I will respond to you immediately. If you write to the blog, there's no way for me to know your email address so I won't be able to respond to you. Again... scottstjames@sbcglobal.net All "anonymous" emails are ignored.

THE NEXT BLOG? Barring unforseen circumstances, next Wednesday night (late), March 24. Among other things, I will write about mysteries involving death and wonder aloud about who made the decision to declare we were in year "1" which has led us to where we are now, which is the year 2010.

67-Million-Year-Old Snakes!! Higher Gas Prices!! No Mail Delivery On Saturdays?!? Health Care Reform!! Yay or Nay?!?

I LOVE stories like this!!! In Bangkok, Thailand, remains of a 67-million-year-old, 11.5 foot snake found curled around a dinosaur egg has paleontologists in whacha call a giddy frame of mind. When something like this is found, it ain't easy to figure out exactly what it IS that's been found until a whole lot of careful work has been done. Example: This was originally found by some sort of Geological expert from India in 1987! In other words, it took the paleontologists about 23 YEARS to figure out what had been found.

Before I go any further, I'd like to make it clear that this isn't some story I found in Globe magazine or some other supermarket tabloid that specializes in Outer Space Elvis sightings. I saw this story in a science magazine.

Now here's what a story like this does to MY "inquiring mind". I find myself wondering about evolution. I know. There's a bunch of people out there who think we're all somehow related to Adam and Eve and maybe we are. But what did we EVOLVE from?!? Was it relative of that snake in The Garden of Eden?

I also know there's a bunch of people who think nothing of significance happened on Earth until books were written about people who (depending on our different religions) we consider to be supreme beings that we must pay homage to.

Not a whole lot of religion (if any) is associated with science.

Also in this story about the 67-million-year-old snake is a scientifically researched story stating that as "early" as 100 million years ago, snakes were developing mobile jaws similar to those found on today's large-mouthed snakes. And yes, feel free to compare a human you know to this evolutionary possibility. A name that will remain anonymous jumped out at me immediately and I'm sure a name jumped out at you as well.

I've often been curious about WHERE it is we came from and WHAT it is we came from because I don't think the beginning of human life had anything to do with the human form we all now inhabit. And I'm not going to tell you what or when the "beginning" was because I have no clue.

Wouldn't it be cool to KNOW how the human experience began? I mean, did we come from the monkey family which (I guess) would include baboons, gorillas, etc.? Did we come from some 100-million-year-old (or older) snake? From a block of wood (and where did that come from?) or did we come directly from an immediate creation made by something or someonewho is the ultimate definition of the word, ALMIGHTY?!?

Seriously....Wouldn't it be cool to KNOW?

I welcome any thoughts and or comments you have on this subject. Write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net

WHEW!!!

One more "heavy topic" mention/thought...

GLOBAL WARMING!!!

Do we really understand what THAT's all about? Or isn't? I don't. I've tried to understand it so I can argue for or against the subject but I can't because I don't. I remember having an "expert" on a radio show with me who I asked to tell me and our audience "in plain English" what (in his view) Global Warming is and why we should be concerned about it? I had him on the air twice. Speaking "in plain English". And I'm still trying to figure out what he said. Therefore, I find myself having trouble being concerned about Global Warming MORE than the worrying I do about our economy which is dangerously close to "Economic Armageddon" status and also the way the deck is WAY stacked in favor of the "haves" as opposed to the rest of us.

Maybe I'm just a "dumb guy".

GAS PRICES!!!

Twelve cents a gallon higher in less than a week where I live. And we're being told this is just the beginning of the gas price hikes. Who do these oil guys think they are? Health Insurance companies?

I don't know about you, but my back is in severe pain because of all the bending over I've been having to do. Come to think of it, it ain't just my back that's sore, if you get my drift.

NO MAIL ON SATURDAY?!?

In case you hadn't heard, all this on-line bill paying and email letter writing has caused The Post Office people to have to figure out a way to cut costs. One idea that looks like it will be implemented is to eliminate mail delivery on Saturday. Another one is to maybe have only one day that magazines are delivered and that day would apparently be Monday.

Like Dylan once said/sang, "The TIMES...they are a changin' !!!"

And ain't THAT the truth!

HEALTH CARE REFORM???

President Obama is in a fired-up speech spouting mood and his mission appears to be a "put up or shut up" resolution as in a "yay" or "nay" vote from members of the Senate and House of Representatives regarding health care reform.

If he's successful, there is a vote and the vote ends up being, "NO", will that be an overall GOOD thing?

If the vote ends up being, "YES", will THAT will be an overall good thing?

ENTERTAINMENT STUFF...

Did you like the Academy Awards show? I did. I thought that the Alec Baldwin-Steve Martin combo worked out well. I was disappointed in some of the voting results, but nothing really surprised me. All in all, BRA-VO, Academy producers!

Films I've recently seen on the Premium Cable Channels...

"Dead Air". Remember that sleazy lawyer on the hit television show, "L.A. Law"? I think his name was Arnie Becker or something like that. He directed "Dead Air", a film that I think went straight to DVD, then to cable and it's a film about our country being attacked and a talk show host who is trying to keep everyone as calm as possible. High drama, lots of tension and I liked it a lot.

"Flash of Genius". A 2008 film that I don't think had much of a theatrical release or if it did, was short lived. If I'm right, that's a shame because this is a very good film. It's the true story about an inventor who got royally screwed by the Ford Motor Company and also the Chrysler Company. It took him many years to even get his story told in court while his marriage was destroyed as well as a lot of friendships. I forget the man's real name, but he died three years before this film came out. When he finally got his day in court, he ended up being awarded close to 30 million dollars. Greg Kinnear played the inventor, Lauren Graham played his wife, Dermot Mulroney played the inventor's best friend, Alan Alda played one of the inventor's attorneys and Bill Smitrovich was very good as the judge in the trial. Good story, terrific cast, very good film.

Speaking of Dermot Mulroney....Did you know that he is going to play the role of Jim Rockford made famous by James Garner? Yep, "The Rockford Files" will be returning to NBC and Mulroney will be filling some very big shoes.

Speaking of television shows...Another terrific episode of "The Good Wife" at 10 p.m./9 Central, on Tuesday night, but that show now has some new and serious competition on NBC. "Parenthood". All Star cast and an All Star pair of producers.

Back to "The Good Wife"...In addition to The Investigator, I have another favorite supporting character who's new on that show. "Mr. Gold".

I'll end with this; R.I.P., Corey Haim.

THOUGHTS AND OR COMMENTS? Write to me a scottstjames@sbcglobal.net. I will respond to you immediately. If you write to the blog, there's no way for me to know your email address so I won't be able to respond to you. All "anonymous" emails are ignored.

THE NEXT BLOG? Barring unforseen circumstances, next Wednesday night, March 17.

Is Barbara Streisand Going To...? And If She IS, Does That Mean...???

The Oscars will be awarded this Sunday. I don't know if this is true, but I have been told that Barbara Streisand will be announcing the winner of the Best Director Oscar and she will also be presenting the Oscar TO the winner. Does that mean that Barbara Streisand KNOWS that Kathryn Bigelow will be the first female to ever WIN the Best Director Oscar?!?

Okay...As long as we're talkin' Oscars, here come my thoughts. I'm going to tell you who I would LIKE to win the main awards and who I think WILL win the main awards.

I would LIKE to see Jason Reitman win the Best Director Oscar, but I think Kathryn Bigelow WILL win it.

I would LIKE to see Vera Farmiga or Anna Kendrick win the Best Supporting Actress Oscar, but I think Mo'Nique WILL win it.

I would LIKE to see Woody Harrelson win the Best Supporting Oscar, but I think Christoph Waltz WILL win it.

I would LIKE to see Sandra Bullock win the Best Actress Oscar and I think she WILL win it. Buuut... I am hearing a lot of Meryl Streep talk and let's face it; an argument can be made to give an Oscar to Meryl Streep EVERY year!

I would LIKE to see George Clooney win the Best Actor Oscar because I thought he was sooo good in "Up in the Air", but like most folks, I have no problem with Jeff Bridges winning and I think he WILL win it.

Best Picture Oscar??? For a lot of reasons, I think "Avatar" deserves the honor. It wasn't my favorite film, but it was a film I enjoyed watching and I was fascinated by the "new tricks" used by James Cameron. Not very many people have seen "The Hurt Locker", but those who have seen it seem to swear by it and I get the feeling that most of the people who have seen it also happen to be Academy VOTERS! But there's this thing inside of me that keeps telling me the passion involved in the voting for THIS great honor might result in a lot of votes being cast for "Avator", a lot of votes being cast for "The Hurt Locker", but because of that "split vote", a film like "Up in the Air" or "The Blind Side" could end up WINNING the Best Picture Oscar.

And yes, "The Blind Side" is the film I would LIKE to see win.

Thoughts and or comments? Write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net

MORE ENTERTAINMENT STUFF...

Did you see Sarah Palin on with Jay Leno? I did and I thought she was terrific. No, I still don't think she has any business being in the conversation about the presidency and according to a new poll, neither do most Americans. In case you hadn't heard, a new poll shows that if Sarah Palin was trying to be elected President of the United States today, she would lose in 47 states. Jay Leno was right when he introduced Sarah Palin as being a person you either like or don't like. In other words, no middle ground. As of now, the majority fall under the category of, "Don't like", but if I was one of her "handlers", I would encourage her to watch how she came across when she was on with Jay Leno, over and over again.

Jay Leno had another guest I want to mention as well. Singer Adam Lambert was Leno's final guest on Tuesday night. Lambert is the guy who should have been last year's American Idol winner. Tuesday night, Lambert sang a new song of his and while he was singing, I couldn't help but think of the ten male singers who are trying to be the next "American Idol". Not only do NONE of these male singers have any business shining Lambert's shoes, SEVEN of the ten CAN'T SING!!! PERIOD!!! And I'm not all that damn sure about TWO of the OTHER three!!!

Two more television show mentions...

The Robert and Kitty marriage is somehow going to be drastically effected on "Brothers & Sisters" because the Robert character is leaving the show (it's been officially announced) and the Kitty character is going to have a reduced role on the show, which has also been officially announced. The Kitty character is running for public office and we really don't know what the Robert character is going to be doing, buuuut....I can't help but get the feeling that something "tragic" will be written into the show regarding the Robert character. Something tragic that will have those of us who really like the show having tears roll down our cheeks because when these two fine actors are on the screen together, you really BELIEVE that they love each other. BIG TIME!!!

A new episode of "The Good Wife" was finally shown on Tuesday night and I thought it was terrific. Great guest star performances, some new "twists" to ponder and the continuing establishment of "The Good Wife" being THE show you make room for.

IN CLOSING....

Short blog this week. My mind is on the Oscars. I'm an auditioning actor. I'm very much looking forward to a Pre-Oscar Party I'll be attending in Burbank this Saturday night. And I will continue what has been a very busy week with another audition tomorrow.

SOME SHORT FINAL ITEMS TO PONDER...

In the last couple of days, gasoline prices have gone up 8 cents. Short Commentary: Uh, oh!!

President Obama looks like he's close to being ready to do something dramatic regarding healthcare reform.

Our economic situation is desperately in need of some solid revisions. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I don't blame George W. Bush for all of our economic woes. He didn't help the situation any while spending money like a drunken sailor, but he was (in essence) continuing with financial behavior that seems to have begun with Ronald Reagan and David Stockman. At the time this was being discussed, Reagan hadn't yet been elected to be our new President of the United States. One of the people who was campaigning against Reagan was the other George Bush (W's dad) and he was claiming that the economic ideas posed by Reagan and Stockman were, in Bush's view, "VooDoo Economics". As we know, Bush Senior ended up being Reagan's Vice President before becoming President after Reagan's two terms had ended.

It has taken a long time for people to learn that Bush Senior was correct. I bought into what was really Stockman's ideas and those eight years that Reagan was President, I thought his economic principles were great. And ya know what? They were. If you were making a lot of money. And I was.

It is long past time for the VooDoo economics period to end. I mean REALLY END!!!

Because if they (once and for all) don't, we are very much in danger of facing what I have a new term for. ECONOMIC ARMAGEDDON!!!

Thoughts And Or Comments? Write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net I will respond to you immediately. If you write to the blog, there's no way for me to know your email address and that means I can't respond to you. Again... scottstjames@sbcglobal.net and I will respond to you immediately. All "Anonymous" emails are ignored.

The Next Blog? Barring unforseen circumstances, Wednesday night, March 10.

Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy the Oscars show and that all of your favorites win.