It's nearly impossible to keep up with the tornado of stories swirling about in the days since Michael Jackson's death -- everything from conflicting statements about the biological parents of his children to reports his finances were a mess to stories saying he was so frail, the idea of doing 50 concerts in London was madness.
Although I saw a few fights break out in the stands at the Cell over the weekend, most of the back-and-forth between Sox and Cubs fans seemed to be of the trash-talking variety. Cubs suck, Sox suck -- you know, the usual elevated discourse on the relative merits of the two organizations.
O ne of the most popular refrains of the last weekend was, "Poor Farrah."
Long before Michael Jackson died suddenly at the age of 50, he had been drawing comparisons to another "King," Elvis Presley. The similarities go beyond the usual cliches about mega-selling superstars who have myriad career and personal ups and downs, so in the grand and admittedly cheesy tradition of "Lincoln had a secretary named Kennedy, and Kennedy had a secretary named Lincoln," a look at some of the parallels between the two pop icons:
Long before Michael Jackson died suddenly at the age of 50, he had been drawing comparisons to another “King,” Elvis Presley. The similarities go beyond the usual cliches about mega-selling superstars who have myriad career and personal ups and downs, so in the grand and admittedly cheesy tradition of “Lincoln had a secretary named Kennedy, and Kennedy had a secretary named Lincoln,” a look at some of the parallels between the two pop icons:
Richard Roeper: It’s the most shocking death of an entertainment superstar since John Lennon in 1980. All due respect to the memories of Kurt Cobain, Heath Ledger, Chris Farley, Aaliyah, Selena and the far too many other celebrities who died suddenly, Michael Jackson was in another universe as an entertainer. He has had his health problems over the years, but we had no inkling he was anything but healthy before Thursday afternoon.
That's some bonus. Oprah Winfrey is treating her entire staff and their families to a Mediterranean cruise. Transportation, food, drinks, activities, the works.
The most impressive parts of Ed McMahon's life were never captured on TV.
When you're stuck in traffic -- as I was on about seven different occasions over the weekend -- you can't help but turn your gaze to the countless billboards lining our expressways and streets.
Like most opinion-dishers in the media, I have little respect for the average anonymous e-mailer or phone caller.
As you read this, somebody somewhere is sitting in a small dark room, wearing a microphone and an earpiece, looking into a camera lens and talking with someone who is in a TV studio in another city.
Two weeks ago I wrote about a young man I first spotlighted in 1995, when he was 8 years old and worried about gang violence in his neighborhood.
You see the photo of some oaf hurling a trash can at a Los Angeles police car after the Lakers won the NBA championship last Sunday night and you think:
E-mailer Tommy Barquinero writes: "Mr. Roeper, what are your thoughts on this David Letterman-Sarah Palin controversy? Please tell me you are on the side of the King of Late Night. Letterman's jokes were indeed edgy (and hilarious, I might add), but to suggest the joke were about the statutory rape of a 14-year-old girl, as Gov. Palin so stupidly insists, is beyond ridiculous. Any reasonable person knows the jokes were about Palin's 18-year-old daughter, Bristol. Sarah Palin should be ashamed of herself for responding in such a self-serving, disingenuous fashion."
It's my great hope it never happens to you, but most of us have been there at some point. If you were about to lose your job, would you prefer:
Guess we can just throw them out on the street and see if they can survive. Step over them if they get in your way.
In the movies, parking is rarely a problem, unless it's for comedic effect. Whether the film is set in Smalltown USA or Manhattan, if someone is racing to the courtroom or the church, there's always a spot available right in front.
The conspiracy theorists are out in full force on the crash of Air France Flight 447.
