Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Back to schlock TV

Well, I’m back from vacation … tanned, rested and definitely fatter! Two weeks of those all-inclusive all-you-can-eat joints are bad for the waistline. But hey, one week on a wicked cleansing diet (where's that cayenne pepper and syrup hiding?) and I will be back in my skinny jeans in no time!

The thought of jumping into my very own comfy bed is one of the greatest pleasures about the return flight home. The second best has to be just ordinary English-language television. I mean, after the second night in Mexico those Spanish reruns of 90210 and Melrose Place just didn’t do it for me anymore. The FOX cable station came in loud and clear in our hotel room ... and the worst part was that I think I actually enjoyed the The O’Reilly Factor. Yikes!

Now, back in T.O. and looking at the news headlines, it seems that I didn’t miss much. Still no verdict in the “Who’s Your Daddy?” fiasco with Anna Nicole. The non-talent Sanjaya is still trying to find his voice on American Idol. And a one-legged, gold digger
made it onto Dancing with the Has-Beens. Yup, I definitely did not miss anything of value in the area of garbage TV.

But one sad bit of news I returned to was the announcement from Democratic presidential hopeful Senator John Edwards, whose wife Elizabeth is now in Stage IV of incurable breast cancer. The press conference I watched on CNN was illuminating in many ways. This family, which has been through a tidal wave of tough times before, handled this terrible news with such dignity and grace. Their openness and candour in front of the cameras was so genuine and beautifully handled. This is one brave lady. For those of us who coach our clients on media preparedness, this is a great example of how to manage the media, remain poised and stay on message no matter how tough the subject matter. I wish them both well. They are a remarkable couple.

Now, back to more schlock reality TV for me...ah, it's great to be home!


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