Breaking news
I'm a news junkie. That means that I'm not ashamed to admit that I stayed up late last night to watch the verdict in the Michael Jackson case. I really don't care about the case, in fact I've bene incredibly annoyed that it gets any coverage on CNN International. I thought I had escaped the world of overplayed news about American superstars. I've heard the pundits say several times that he's actually more popular in other parts of the world than in the US, which I guess is why they keep talking about it on my favorite German radio station today as well. Don't get me wrong, as a young teenager I was, like all other 8th graders at the time, crazy about Michael Jackson. This was back in the days of Thriller. I even had a poster of him on my wall. And my friends and I used to spend Friday nights watching "The Making of Thriller" video so that we could try to replicate his dance moves. All that being said, there's no doubt that he has become a very weird man. Doesn't that always happen with child stars? How many of them have gone off the deep end?
I was just about ready to turn off the TV last night when they broke in with "Breaking News"... and this time it wasn't about another car bomb in Iraq (although I'm sure that was also happening). Anything with the headline "Breaking News" sucks me in. For the next couple hours, I kept the TV on and listend to Wolf Blitzer's outrageous coverage. First, they had the aerial shots of the Neverland Ranch. The commentary went something like this. "Doesn't he need to leave the ranch soon in order to make it to the courthouse within the hour deadline set by the judge? Exactly how long is the drive to the courthouse? Isn't it 30 miles? That means he needs to leave within the next 10 minutes to make it there on time. Any minute now the gates should open and his vehicles will come driving through. It could be the last time he ever leaves the Neverland Ranch."
Next they had the aerial OJ Simpson-esque shots tracking the 4 black SUVs as they were driving to the courthouse. "Does anyone know if that white car in the lead is part of the convoy or is it just someone driving down the road who is now caught up in the motorcade? Or perhaps is it the papparazzi? Here they are now, getting caught in a little traffic, waiting to make a right turn at this intersection..." Please, I see them turning, why do you need to comment on it??
And so it went. Of course he didn't make it to the courthouse within the hour deadline set by the judge, and the judge kept changing the time that the verdict would be read, extending the time that I sat for absolutely no good reason in front of the TV. It's just a strange obsession I have. I hate to miss a good news story as it happens. I'm sure you all think I'm crazy. Kirk included.
I was just about ready to turn off the TV last night when they broke in with "Breaking News"... and this time it wasn't about another car bomb in Iraq (although I'm sure that was also happening). Anything with the headline "Breaking News" sucks me in. For the next couple hours, I kept the TV on and listend to Wolf Blitzer's outrageous coverage. First, they had the aerial shots of the Neverland Ranch. The commentary went something like this. "Doesn't he need to leave the ranch soon in order to make it to the courthouse within the hour deadline set by the judge? Exactly how long is the drive to the courthouse? Isn't it 30 miles? That means he needs to leave within the next 10 minutes to make it there on time. Any minute now the gates should open and his vehicles will come driving through. It could be the last time he ever leaves the Neverland Ranch."
Next they had the aerial OJ Simpson-esque shots tracking the 4 black SUVs as they were driving to the courthouse. "Does anyone know if that white car in the lead is part of the convoy or is it just someone driving down the road who is now caught up in the motorcade? Or perhaps is it the papparazzi? Here they are now, getting caught in a little traffic, waiting to make a right turn at this intersection..." Please, I see them turning, why do you need to comment on it??
And so it went. Of course he didn't make it to the courthouse within the hour deadline set by the judge, and the judge kept changing the time that the verdict would be read, extending the time that I sat for absolutely no good reason in front of the TV. It's just a strange obsession I have. I hate to miss a good news story as it happens. I'm sure you all think I'm crazy. Kirk included.
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