Category: Media

Two unlikely heroes

Okay, yes, blogging. Here we go. A couple of items in today’s Bee today that caught my eye (does anybody else love Fred Armisen’s “political comedian” character on SNL?)… First is Jeannette Barrett of Placerville, who is highlighted in a piece about public assistance and social services for people caring for children of relatives. In Barrett’s case, she is living in the house she planned to be her retirement castle with 5 great-nieces and nephews (I have always wondered why there is not a word like “sibling” or “spouse” to refer to nieces and nephews).

“I’m having the time of my life,” she said. “It’s filled my life.”

Continue reading “Two unlikely heroes”

In my day we called them “guys”

Cbs13.com reports that people looking for sex is a growing problem in Citrus Heights. These “cruisers” are targeting local parks, ducking into bathrooms and bushes to get their shwerve on.

It’s not just the restrooms. Citrus Heights Lieutenant Jeff MacKanin says that people will use the bushes to perform sexual acts, raising concerns not only because families use the park, but also for the spread of disease. “We can teach citizens to be our eyes for us,” says Lt. MacKanin. “We can teach them to log information, [especially] citizens who work well with police.”

Log information? Oh, this can’t miss. I can see it now…”Male suspect places female suspect on top of stainless steel toilet…female suspect asks male suspect to place an “ass gasket” down first to prevent the spread of disease…male suspect searches for said protective device…“

Eminent Domain, We Need You!

No, this isn’t about the prolonged pissing match between stubborn Moe Mohanna and stubborn city officials and stubborn homeless people along K Street.  This is about my hood, the ‘Cade, Arden/Arcade that is.

The former home of Tower Records and Tower Books on Watt Avenue at El Camino is slowly turning into a commercial property nightmare, replete with graffiti, homeless folks, and that harbinger of property worthlessness, the Spirit Halloween Store.

It’s true, the site of former greatness, where I bought my first J.J. Johnson album is now just a dirty shell, attracting crime and dragging down the neighborhood.  I, as a citizen, want to do something about it.  Here’s the problem though, I have no idea what to do.  Do I start showing up at those worthless Arcade cityhood meetings?  Do I start an “action group”?  Do I call Marcos Breton? Or even better, Carlos Alcala?  Tell me, readers, for I am lost in a sea of citizen action.

OMG a new low for CBS13

They said it couldn’t happen but they have been known to be wrong in the past. Check out Sam McManis’ fresh post: 21Q – ‘Good Day Sac’ reporter gives beer to the homeless

Jay Henderson, a reader from Folsom, writes to say he was stunned on Monday morning to see “Good Day Sacramento” reporter Chris Burrous (left) give a case of beer and a bag of McDonald’s food to a homeless woman during a live segment.

Bach in Blech

This week, the News and Review has sunk to an all time low with their cover story and issue dedicated to Sebastian Bach. If you cannot tell from my homage to both AC/DC and Mad Magazine in the title of this entry, I am precisely the target demographic for an issue dedicated to a washed up, middle aged metal singer who has not had a hit song since 1989 and has found a new career as a reality TV star. Big whoop. And, if I don’t care, how is anyone else going to give a flying fuck about Sebastian Bach?
Continue reading “Bach in Blech”

Cover Coverage: “Fred Claus” and the Madonna-Whore Complex

Just a quick question:  Why does the Bee use the cover of the highly read Ticket section to feature the film “Fred Claus,” then spend two pages bashing the film like a baby seal in a batting cage? 

Maybe they could have featured one of the 100 or more artists with gallery shows this Saturday, or a performer from the Festival of New American Music.  This is nothing against movie critic, Carla Meyer, who is thoughtful and direct in her piece.  This is aimed at the editorial board, or whoever else in the “Entertainment” section is responsible for what gets put on the cover (if you happen to know, drop us a line) who may just want to cut down on the number of movies they feature on the front page of the Friday Ticket. 

How about this for a small piece of advice?  Unless it’s a four star movie, put something else on the cover. 

Hello Heyamoto

If you’ve missed the Herb Caen-like musings of “Aloha Bob” Graswich in the Bee, you can now rejoice.  The folks over at 21st and Q have given the job over to Lisa Heyamoto, Sacramento’s most laid-back columnist.   Heyamoto has casually catalogued the eccentricities of the city for a week now, and seems to already have the feel for the ironic, charming, and trivial content necessary for a successful three-dot column.  When you think about it, the three-dotter is really the true precursor to the blog.  Sure, some people say that the diary format truly fathered the modern blog, but unless you’re Samuel Pepys, odds are you didn’t intend your daily musings to be public content.  The three-dot column is just a blog…on paper.

I, for one, am happy that Heyamoto got the job.  She’s been on my “someone-to-root-for” list ever since she wrote an odd piece last year about “Google doppelgangers” for which she was lambasted by Bee online commenters.  They poo-poo’d the piece’s triviality and newsworthiness, going on to personally insult Heyamoto in a most unprofessional manner.  I sometimes wonder what types of pieces these people want to see in the “Scene” section–severed heads, Afghan poppy fields, racial injustice–lighten the eff up here people, it’s the “Scene” section for chrissakes.  After that, Heyamoto went on an extended bender, but, in her defense, that was her job as the Bee’s “Nightlife” writer.

Anyway, bully to the Bee for giving Heyamoto the job.  I wish her luck as the region’s most prominent non-online blogger and hope that she doesn’t need to hit the “Nightlife” beat too hard anymore. 

A Tale of Two News Shows

We’ve taken our shots over the years at the two ring circus that is “Good Day Sacramento,” but we’ve not told the other side of the story, the side that compares Good Day against the other morning shows in the area to see where each stands in this fence-sitter of a media market. (Are we a small big market or a big small market, who can tell?) This week, a dear friend relayed to me his experiences with a two morning shows, and I’d like to share those with you. Hopefully, this will give you a chance to judge for yourself as to who really rules the airwaves from dawn to coffee break.

First of all, let me set the scene for you. My friend had two appearances lined up last month to promote an event, one appearance on the KCRA morning news on channel 58, and one appearance on Good Day Sacramento. The KCRA news appearance was (as if you couldn’t already see this coming) a bad scene.  Rushed for time, fighting technical difficulties and trying to get out his message points despite the woodenness of the broadcast team, my friend did his best to fill the thirty seconds that they wound up giving him. According to him, the crew was a bit scattered, everything was thrown together last minute and the everyone seemed a little stressed. Continue reading “A Tale of Two News Shows”