Coverage For Sale

Here's a disturbing story that I'm sure made my friend Ed Esposito bristle; the New York Times reports that Angelina Joli made a deal with People Magazine for exclusive photos of her twins. There's nothing really wrong with that. Celebrity based media often pay for content. It's not unheard of for a magazine, TV or even online media to pay large sums for photos and interviews. As a result People had its best selling issue in seven years. But what makes this story interesting according to reports is exactly for which Ms. Joli bargained and received.

It's no secret that Angelina and her husband Brad Pitt are among the beautiful people. No matter where they go in the known universe there are dozens, sometimes hundreds of blasting flashes and shuttering irises sucking in their every move. It is also no secret that Joli knows how to use this celebrity. She is an ambassador for goodwill toward Africa and has been in Iraq on several occasions to support the troops and the fledging government.

If you really want to irritate her, call either of them Bradjolina.

When the Time Inc. owned magazine wanted to "purchase" the exclusive rights to photos of their infants Joli saw this as an opportunity to control something that had eluded her and all celebrities, her image. This is a woman who is serious about personality management. She does things to balance Hollywood triviality with social responsibility. I am not saying she is insincere, but she is more than deliberate in choosing her causes. Now she has proven that she can also manipulate those who serve that image up to the supermarket-line standing public.

Ms. Joli and her team of image doctors have parlayed the birth of three children and the adoption of her Cambodian son into more than 10 million dollars, half of which was donated to charity. But telling in the bidding process is a seemingly innocuous line item: "Publications are invited to comment on their editorial plans upon submission of their bids." That is a shot across the bow of an independent press. Now to be fair, celebrity news is hardly a pillar of the fourth estate, but as we blur the lines between news and entertainment, a subtle suggestion like this becomes a leading indicator.

The magazine vehemently denies any such arrangement, but as the New York Times examined the subsequent coverage in an article by Brooks Barns last week, gone were the pejoratives such and Bradjolina and some of the other unflattering clichés one has come to expect from the Startabs. Whether this coverage resulted from careful manipulation by Joli or capitulation of the media is a matter of interpretation. But everyone close to the topic seems to have the same impression: she is scary smart when it comes to having a say in what we think about this beautiful couple doing beautiful things both on and off the screen.

If she can do it successfully, and by all indications she has, you can bet a step-by-step manual is in the hands of every entertainment lawyer and management team wherever stars collect. Reading those celeb spotlight articles is not at all like listening to the top and bottom of the hour news on WAKR or reading the news sections of AkronNewsNow.com, but now the gap has widened considerably.

Bodies Don’t Lie

My brother used to use the trashcan as a toilet. He would do it in his sleep, traveling down two flights of stairs, through the kitchen and into the back hall before he relieved himself. The first time this happened Mary Collins didn't know what to make of it. Mom and dad went into protect mode and for the first time I can remember they collaborated in a lie. I must have been four years old, but I knew what they were telling me was not true; that my aunt had thrown away an ice cream container without rinsing it and it melted all over. Ice cream doesn't smell like that.

What I noticed were darting, diverting eyes and closed posture on two people who looked at me every chance they had and their demeanor was always open, warm and loving. It's something that was filed away in that little boy and stays with me now, 51 years later. Few people have enough control to divorce their body's reaction from what they are saying and thinking. And when these two things are inconsistent there are triggers that with a little bit of training an observer can detect. We are all lie detectors.

Recently I was having problems with a co-worker. We had come to an impasse and the situation was deteriorating very quickly. We would meet and there was never a time when her arms weren't folded and legs crossed and drawn up as high as the legs of the chair would allow. Nothing I could say would have made our relationship any better.

In Malcolm Gladwell's outstanding examination of human interaction, "Blink," he writes about those first impressions. I call them super first impressions. These are the signals we get the moment we come into range of another person or a situation. But you have to be ready and open to exactly what is being communicated. Here is a great example of being blind and blind-sided. Back in the late 70's I lived and worked in a downtown business and residential complex. The Radio stations were on one floor and in the mall below there were stores, restaurants and bars. Back then the bars were as important as my place of employment. On the lower level was a place called the OK Corral. It was little more than a shot and a beer joint with Asteroids games, pool table and unlimited peanuts. It was frequented by cops, guys who worked in the" boiler room" call centers and other restaurant workers.

On the night of April 20, 1977 – the date is significant – I dropped in even though the barn-like sliding doors were partially closed. I saw the cops at the bar, just like most nights, and the bar tender, Dick was where he usually was at 9 o'clock on a weeknight. But Dick shot me a look that to this day I still remember; it was intense hostility. I walked to the bar and it was only then I noticed that some of the Cleveland Police uniforms, even in the dim light, had a decidedly different look. And there was a new decoration behind the bar: a full-sized Third Reich Battle flag hung over the mirror above the liquor bottles. The uniforms were not that of the CPD, but various replicas of Nazi military garb. Clearly I was in the wrong place and precisely the wrong time. Guys I thought I knew were having a birthday party for Hitler. Here's the rub, I thought it was a joke until one of the cops, a sergeant named Molnar, came over and told me, "you aren't welcome here, mud boy." The significance of the epithet did not hit me until much later.

How could I be so blinded to the clear signals, the body language and more, of this volatile situation? Easy, I wanted a drink more than I wanted to pay attention to my surroundings. That is a whole other topic. For now let's just say I learned a valuable lesson that probably save my life and the lives of my family on more than one occasion. If anything I might be too sensitive to non-verbal communication.

Watch the eyes, the movements and the expressions of others. Don't let your own wishes, hopes and fears get in the way. It might surprise you just how much is being said no matter what the other person says.

Footnotes

Everything that happens, everything that makes the news or the center of cultural popularity leaves us with a little lightening. Sometimes we get lightening in a bottle. These things, these G-Block, lightweight featurettes are often conceived as mood changers, deal breakers or even earth shakers. They are seldom more than footnotes.

Just by way of setting you up for the cluster of non-notable notables – they are quite perishable - here are a few footnotes from the past. The 60's were so intense that there were very few footnotes, but the 70's were riddled with them. Remember Rosemary Woods and the photo of how she can delete 18 minutes of tape? Jerry Ford and the mis-played golf shot (he actually hit a guy) or Jimmy Carter and the attack rabbit or Billy Beer? In the 80's we had Reagan's jelly beans and Nancy's astrologer, Dan Quayle's spelling and George H.W. Bush's missing Pearl Harbor Day by two three full months.

And then there was Gary Hart's Monkey Business, which neatly welcomed in the reckless 90's. Clinton had Gennifer, Paula, Monica and impeachment. There was also the "Medical Security Card," but there was also war in Europe and Africa. Little did we know that that was just the opening act to the 21 Century when we collectively wished for the frivolous. America and the world suddenly got very serious.

What would have been footnotes in the elections and subsequent presidency of George W. Bush are still fresh in the minds of many. There were hanging chads in Florida, Michael Moore Movies. In the second election John Kerry provided the forgettable moments such as "reporting for duty," the Swift Boat controversy and almost anything said by his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry.

Now we have this historic election. Even calling it that might be something of a footnote. But we have some clearly not so serious moments as well, and by posting them here I might have extended their life longer than they deserve.

The winner has gave us the birth certificate controversy (presented by the same folks who gave us the Swift Boat guys, but this time there were seen for the joke they always were), and his heritage and religion – is he Arab, Muslim, Marxist? Unfortunately this is just the beginning of the nonsense Mr. Obama will have to endure. How about accepting the nomination at Mile High Stadium or the apparent love fest with the candidate and the press.

On losing side we have the energizer candidate, Mike Huckabee, who never seemed to believe that he was out of it. Then the real battle began. Enter Sarah Palin, perhaps the biggest footnote of all. From her surprising arrival on the world stage to her, frankly, unfortunate sendoff, the governor from Alaska had no idea what she was walking into. Let's go through them together: Clothes, glasses, hunting, Tina Fey, Bush Doctrine, Katie Couric, Brian Williams, William Ayers, bath robes and it is not over yet. Senator McCain added a few asterisks of his own. Some of it came from his opponent, cleverly grabbing the statement that McCain didn't know how many homes he owned. Then there was Joe. That's really all I have to say for now. If we are lucky that will be the first to fade.

Footnotes in some ways are our salvation. They are those little trivialities that give us a breather from the burden of this incredibly fast paced world. These tiny treasures will come in handy one day when something happens that is as far from trivial as it gets.

Crushing Eggshells

One of my favorite Radio Hall of Famers is a guy named Art Bell. Not long ago he wrote a book called The Quickening. In it he described a period of time when things move more quickly and eventually reach a tipping point: terminal velocity. Like most things this depends on your point of view but that time seems to have arrived.

This week Ed Esposito, Eric Mansfield and Megan Mahoney from WMFD-TV in Mansfield were invited to talk to high school and some college students about beginning their careers in broadcasting. This was sponsored by Z-TV, the University of Akron campus television station and its teaching general manager Phil Hofmann. As I looked into those young faces I saw apathy and interest, boredom and excitement, I saw those who just wanted a day away from the routine and some who really wanted to make a living at work in the media. We were separated by two generations and I could not help but wonder if they felt the same rush of history. Probably not.

As barriers fall I listen intently for the sounds of change. For one thing we are going from a president that was not only a walking punch line but added select malapropisms that will be with us for years. Now we have a new central character in the seat of power. He was swept into the White House with a solid majority, by he has two choices in this job: be great (like Mt Rushmore great), or, well, there is no other option.

Back in February I wrote a piece describing this moment as giving the nation and the world permission to stop dealing with race like some wicked game of Operation; pick lightly at the topic otherwise you touch off a wave of offense and accusations. Presidents are by nature fair game. 43 men have been subjected to ridicule, literally at the highest levels. In recent history the smallest anomaly filled comedy shows and became part of pop culture. From Nixon's slump to Ford's falls, every one of them had something. Now we have Obama. I tend to think that this president will present more fuel for that fire than the color of his skin or his African name. Yet from the Italian prime minister we have the first toe-dip into the subject. He mention how tanned our new president is. By the way, black folks do tan. Then the president-elect himself called himself a mutt while describing the kind of dog he wanted for his daughters as they move into the White House. Not bad.

For the most part Presidents are fair game. Without being mean and nasty – trust me there are already millions of internet pages devoted to that kind of vitriol – there are plenty of opportunities for good natured ribbing. It would be worst to tip toe around all the massive changes that are flooding toward us. Just as Art Bell talked about in The Quickening, things are changing at a blinding pace. There is no time to parse every work and worry about whom we might offend.

Little Things

It was a typical Saturday for me. We have a well and though the water is somewhat conditioned, it is still not the best for drinking. So every week I pack up the trunk with a couple dozen gallon jugs, fill my pockets with quarters and head to the local Aquabar.

This week I had a little help. True to their name the little bear cubs cautiously approached; momma bear looking on from the other side of the convenience store entrance. Thinking back, it was really very much like what you might find in the woods. But these were Cub Scouts and it is popcorn fundraising time.

Benny, Zack and a couple of Nicks sensed that the adult was friendly enough and after closing for at least some popcorn sale, they offered to help fill the jugs with quarter-a-gallon of filtered Streetboro drinking water. The little guys were curious and talked about helping others as part of their Scout training. The four were good friends and laughed easily. I had fun with them.

After we filled the bottles I went over to the table where two Scout moms and a Scout dad were minding the store. It was a good visit and only cost me 15 bucks. I went into the store and grabbed an Ice tea. By the time I came out another customer was at the Aquabar. Emboldened by their experience with the nice water carrier, they thought this stranger would be as accommodating; another boredom killer for energetic nine-year-olds. No such luck. The man had no patience for the cubs and shoo'd them away like overly playful puppies. What struck me was the clear lack of respect for the boys.

Kids deserve respect, too. Everything we do as adults teaches and adds to their small but growing view of the world. I don't know if the man had kids, he was about my age so if he did they would be grown by now. By his actions I would say he probably never had the pleasure. The cubs were just being kids and for that they got yelled at. We really have to watch it. Little things to little kids can mean everything.

Intellectual Homogeny

Do all the people you know agree with you? Do you ever argue with friends, without condemning them, even on the most fundamental issues? It seems to me that this basic human interaction has become a political hot button. And if we are not careful it could cloud the things we as a nation need to think about as we go to the polls on Tuesday.

When I was doing visits with my college-bound kid, I noticed an interesting thing about the various campuses we stopped by: ideas varied, the discussions were vigorous but only to a point. If you live on a college campus, if you work in the classrooms, the research labs and have dinner and drinks at the University Clubs, then there is a certain atmosphere you are forced to breathe. More often than not, I found, the air was toxic with anti-Americanism, historic revisionism based on narrow and obscure interpretations and the notion that all the ills of the world began with the creation and continued behavior of the United States.

This is where the Democratic candidate spent much of his professional career, before immersing himself in public service as an elected official. Is it any wonder that he ran into, even sat down with and befriended those with decidedly unpatriotic views, even radical views? The University of Chicago like most elite schools prides itself on employing a diverse faculty and staff. Where else could you find the kinds of people with whom Barack Obama is being bundled? I am not dismissing the associations, but I understand how they came about. I've seen the process first hand.

In these last hours of the presidential campaign we find these associations at the center of the debate, at least from the McCain side. If I thought that this man, Barack Obama, walked in lock step with the three prominent characters he called, associate, pastor and friend - Ayers, Wright and Khalidi – then we would have a serious problem. But for him to know these men and not publicly chastise them anymore than he has already is not surprising. I would like to believe he had some spirited debates, even arguments with them over the years. I would like to have heard his position on America, race relations and the Israeli/Palestinian issue. I would like to know his passion in opposing these radical ideas. I would like to, but I don't other than taking his word now, just a few steps from the oval office.

My best friend holds the same job I do for a major competitor. No one in my company ever asked me to denounce him or our friendship; that my job depended on it. My bosses trust my judgment enough to know that I would never disclose company secrets or strategies as it relates to competing with and beating my friend's radio stations in the ratings. At least I hope that is the case.

The people who find Obama unacceptable as our president use his association and in some cases his own words to make their case. My problem is that this is taking us away from a good A-B comparison with what these men will do for this country in these difficult times. If I am to learn anything about the person I prefer to judge the things he says, not the people he may have argued with. That goes both ways, and during this longest presidential campaign in history I think we have all heard enough.