Paris Hilton -- PR Genius

Ho, ho, ho. All the nuclear physicists/news anchors out there (see my two recent posts) are chortling about Paris Hilton fogetting the name of the new cellphone video game she was unveiling at the E3 conference today. Ha, ha. She called it "Diamondquest" instead of its actual name "Paris Hilton's Jewel Jam"! Oh my, she's not too bright is she. The aforementioned David Asman had a good laugh and cautioned corporations not to let Paris Hilton hawk their products.

These big thinkers somehow fail to grasp that by whiffing on the name of her product (whether intentionally or not), Paris got free advertising on all major TV networks as well as print and online outlets worldwide. What a doof!

Update!: Has Salon been reading The Bossman Cometh? Well, almost definitely not. But they did run this headline today: 'Paris Hilton, Secret Genius?'

Misinformation Addendum

If you were tuning in to Fox News tonight, you got the 'B' team. John Kasich in place of Bill O'Reilly, Jim Angle instead of Brit Hume, and David Asman in pace of Neil Cavuto. But rest assured, the 'B' team is no less fact-challenged.

Tonight, viewers of Your World discovered that Texas is the largest state.

Mr. Asman, allow me to introduce you to the state of Alaska. Um, it's more than twice the size of Texas and has been a part of the United States for almost 50 years now. Now what wass that you were saying about immigration again?

The Aliens...

...have arrived.

Fox News Continues to Misinform

Remember that University of Maryland study back in 2003 that found that Fox News viewers were more likely to have misconceptions about current events than viewers of the other networks?

Apparently that extends to sports as well...and Fox News' anchors. Maybe these guys are watching too much of their own programming.

Turned on the tube today to find Neil Cavuto interviewing Babe Ruth's granddaughter to determine how the Babe would feel about Barry Bonds approaching his career home run record. That's right...record. Now I know that Fox News is adept at ignoring and/or disparaging minorities in our country (unless they are part of the President's Cabinet), but wiping Hank Aaron and his 22-year career out of the Major League Baseball record books?

First off, I hate interviews like this. Granddchildren of sports heroes being interviewed as experts on their accomplishments and their feelings about the game. Babe Ruth died in 1948. I don't think his granddaughter had much of an opportunity to pick his brain about home runs. Might as well go with a biographer Neil, they're a little less biased and a little stronger with the facts. Showing bias and ignoring the facts, that's your job.

Case in point. During this particular inane interview, Cavuto refers to Barry Bonds breaking Ruth's 'record' probably a dozen times. The Babe's granddaughter never corrects him. They mention Aaron in passing, but continue to refer to Ruth as the record-holder. Then Cavuto goes on to ask whether the possibility of steroid use means that Bonds' record of '70' home runs in a season should also be wiped out. Neil, stick to your five-year Sisyphean struggle to convince the country that the economy is stronger than ever. At least with that you can cherry-pick your numbers.

Oh Boy!

It's been a while since I've posted because I've been busy navigating the cutthroat San Francisco art world and posing as a music blogger to gain free entry to local clubs. For those of you that haven't seen my art exhibit or read my posts at the Noise Pop blog, shame on you. The exhibit closes this Friday, so get off your asses.

My last post was a giddy reaction to Bush's popularity problems. It's now two months later, and as expected, Bush's approval rating has rebounded sharply to 31%. But as Stephen Colbert points out, that means 69% of Americans approve of the job Bush isn't doing. Clearly Americans find comfort in knowing that our commander-in-chief never wavers no matter how tough the going gets. He's nothing if not stalwart and consistent. Take his certitude about his ability to choose CIA directors. To wit (courtesy of The Daily Show):

Bush on brand-spankin'-new CIA director-elect Gen. Michael Hayden (5/8/06): "He’s the right man to lead the CIA in this critical moment in our nation’s history."

Bush on Former CIA director Porter Goss, whom he appointed 18 months ago and forced out last week (8/10/04): "He's the right man to lead this important agency at this critical moment in our nation's history."

I suppose this means we can also feel good about the prospects of these guys:

Bush on Acting OMB Director Rob Portman (4/18/06): "The job of [Office of Management and Budget] director is a really important post, and Rob Portman is the right man to take it on."

Bush on C. Boyden Gray, Ambassador to the EU (1/25/06): "At this moment in history, Ambassador Gray is clearly the right man for the job."

Bush on Ben Bernanke, Fed Reserve Chairman (10/24/05): "Ben Bernanke is the right man to build on the record Alan Greenspan has established."

Bush on UN Ambassador John Bolton (8/1/05): "He is the right man for the job...This post is too important to leave vacant any longer."

Then there are these golden oldies:

Bush on Former Homeland Security Chief Tom Ridge (11/25/02): "He's the right man for this new and great responsibility."

Bush on National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Elias A. Zerhouni (3/26/02): "Leading the NIH is a great responsibility, and I have picked the right man to do so."

And how about Former Chief of Staff Andy Card on his replacement Josh Bolten: "It is a different season, and Josh Bolten is the right person for that season."

Now maybe we know who was talking to Bush through that bulging device so cleverly tailored into his suits. Because we all know how confusing it can be for the President when he's spoken to directly.