Talk about no spin at all.  Simon Cowell, judge and one of the minds behind the hugely popular American Idol show can never be accused of putting spin on anything he says. 

Blunt and honest define each and every of Simon’s comments—that’s part of what has made the show what it is. Paula Abdul, however, is a different story.  I find it annoying but yet I support Simon in his quest to pin Paula down to a less-positive o r more honest review when a contestant’s performance warrants it. Thousands of kids audition for the chance to be on the show and it’s just a fact of life they have to accept if they want to get into the music business and, if they make it to the final 24 or even fewer, they have to be able to accept criticism graciously.  Those four judges are experts in the field and although tough to take some time, isn’t an honest assessment better than something all fluffed up or muddled to where no one is really sure what the feedback was about? Stay tuned to this week’s shows to see how brutally honest Simon is this week.

Yes, sex does sell, beauty and grooming products do it daily through advertisements and it has been going on for years – I watch “Mad Men,” I know how it all got started. But are we really stooping that low to try to get kids, teens, and adults to eat more veggies? What is PETA basing this of off? In the commercial, between oils, and girls groping broccoli, carrots, pumpkins, and other vegetables, they say, ’studies show’ that vegetarians have better sex lives” – what studies? I think they knew this ad would not make the cut and create a bigger splash in the news because it didn’t air – way to use the media in your favor to spin a message.

I think we do need to continue to drill into adults that we need to eat right and that healthy lifestyles are good for our children. Meat is a solid choice for a lot of nutrients when it is consumed correctly and taking that away by becoming a full blown vegetarian is not the answer to eating healthy. It is true that vegetarians eat healthy, consuming more greens and veggies than average Joe, but does that make them better people or better lovers?

Here’s a thought, stop eating Big Mac’s – that’s a good start to a healthier life.

The creepy thing is not that they used old images, not that they used old sound bites, but that they had an impersonator do voice over “putting words into the late endorser’s mouth,” according to Technologizer.

Check it out for yourself, here. 

I agree with Harry, this is a GREAT foundation, BUT this is spin if I’ve ever seen heard it.  Who knows, maybe John would have disliked the laptop idea and would have liked to endorse smart phones instead? 

I’m just saying, it’s one thing to use an image, but to verbally impersonate a murdered iconic legend to endorse an organization is too icky for my liking.  Yoko needs to stop making these kinds decisions.   

Last week, while driving to work, I was listening to radio WBBM 780 AM and they were doing a “news” piece about how Jennifer Hudson and her family were staying at The Trump Tower after the tragic murders of her mother, sister and nephew.  The next line from the announcer was the one that caught my attention and appalled me.  It was supposedly a quote directly from Donald Trump saying, “She’s a great girl.  And we’re protecting them well. They are very safe.”

Read more: http://showhype.com/story/donald_trum_shelters_jennifer_hudson/

Excuse me, but isn’t part of the reason that the Hudson family would be staying at a hotel is that they might assume it would be an “undisclosed location” and in such, would protect their privacy?  C’mon Mr. Trump, isn’t there a better way to get publicity for your new hotel?

This incident, captured by other reporters live, was only minutes away from blowing up with endless amounts of spin — Bush’s dog is taking out his master’s frustration on reporters for all the harsh remarks; the dog is not friendly anymore because he is leaving the White House soon; or should they allow Obama to bring his golden doodle into the White House?
 
However, I don’t think these spin issues are even the biggest of them all. In national news, there lays a story about the President’s dog portrayed as newsworthy news. I mean it’s not that our country isn’t going through an economic crisis; Americans aren’t losing their jobs; the stock market didn’t just take its usual dive after a new presidential election, and we definitely didn’t just elect a new president who is a rather historical figure. Rather President Bush’s dog is now a YouTube sensation. MSNBC’s video on YouTube already reached more than 4,000 views. Barney, “the first Scottish terrier,” only added to his celebrity status due to an unworthy news placement.
 
Now if Barney would have taken a bite out of Obama to greet him into the White House – that’s
some news. Can you hear the stories? Bush trained Barney to attack Obama…stop the spin!

Earlier this week, two pop-culture news stories broke in the media – Clay Aiken announced he’s gay and Lindsey Lohan announced she and Samantha Ronson are an item. To my disappointment, two of the most respected, well-known media outlets released the information without any regard for professionalism or poise.

The Chicago Tribune called it, “Hollywood’s least surprising revelations,” and Newsweek called it, “Gay: Clay Aiken’s Overdue Honesty.” I call their comments inappropriate, suggestive, and lazy journalism.

Lohan laughed and answered, “For a very long time.”" type=”#_x0000_t75″ o:spid=”_x0000_s1026″>I think the most important issue here is the publications’ display of harsh stereotyping without even realizing it. Based strictly on visual observations, The Tribune and Newsweek (and probably many more) made assumptions and suggestions about these celebrities’ personal lives that were not factual until earlier this week. In doing so, they delivered a message I found to be inappropriate and unfortunate. 

It is not the place of these hard news outlets to make judgments about others without facts. That is, after all, the definition of news.

Not to mention, journalism 101 teaches all its loyal students – If everybody knows it, it’s not news! If Aiken and Lohan’s personal lives were so unsurprising and overdue, why was it on the home page of The Chicago Tribune and Newsweek in the first place? Why did it make the full cover story of People Magazine?

The Tribune and Newsweek may have simply written about Clay Aiken and Lindsey Lohan’s announcements, but what I read was much different.

Everyone has the right to their own opinion, but journalists are supposed to cover both sides of the story. Well, unless you are covering the Cubs vs. White Sox or Bears vs. Packers, in which case, a journalist certainly covering a team outside of the “bear family” needs to have their head checked.
 
Journalist who were covering John McCain years ago giving McCain the media coverage any potential candidate would love or as one journalist put it, “give a journalist a treat and we will leap into a politician’s lap.”

Since John McCain has been subject to lies and upsetting some of his old media friends who he fooled  last year, they now have turned on him, leaving people with a reoccurring question, are we reading a factual story or is this another bash on McCain from a former journalist’s friend?
 
Either way, I am staying out of this spin; I would never want to be called Paris Hilton or Britney spears!

However, there is one major characteristic no other candidate can touch on Obama. Obama might be the most down to earth and regular guy a presidential race has encountered, and Obama can thank his right hand man for that. Former Duke basketball and football star, Reggie Love is Obama’s body man, he knows what “the boss,” as he calls Obama, likes to eat, drink, and even his sleep schedule. But most importantly, Love assists Obama in the social world, whether it’s playing basketball with locals in the state they are in, or up loading his iPod with pop music younger crowds are listening to these days.

“So I’ve gotten pretty fond of Jay-Z,” says Obama. “He’s broadened my horizons in the hip-hop world.”

When it come to politics, I know very little and I find it very hard to stayed entertained, but now that media outlets are printing headlines like “Will Paris Hilton’s Energy Plan Work,” how can I not be entertained or keep from laughing? McCain’s attempt to spin the media into thinking Obama is just another celebrity and unready to lead our nation totally backfired on him and in many cases due to the aid of mystery cue cards, Hilton sounds smarter than both presidential candidates by coming up with her own plan, which she calls a hybrid of both their plans to end our oil-energy crisis.

“We can do limited offshore drilling with strict environmental oversight, while creating tax incentives to get Detroit making hybrid and electric cars. That way, the offshore drilling carries us until the new technologies kick in, which will then create new jobs and energy independence. Energy crisis solved,” says Hilton.

Are there three presidential candidates now? Guys, put your tongues back in your mouth, I’m willing to say it’s impossible the first women president to be Paris Hilton. The only character missing from this breaking news video was Hilton’s dog hanging out of her purse, but her outfit was priceless.

Over the last couple seasons, and the 2008 All Star game festivities, newspapers, interviews, television and radio shows refuse to let his troubled past go. I find myself wondering why aren’t they talking about his career or season? Do reporters really want sports stars to fail so they have something to entertain them? Hamilton’s troubled life is in the past; his tattoos are there to stay, but even Hamilton is trying to make all the negative coverage turn into a positive. “My tattoos are to remind me of what I did wrong and to keep me successful at overcoming my addictions of the past.”
 
Yes, I know it makes for a great story to talk about how Hamilton revived his career, but it’s almost been nine years. Let them man breath and enjoy his greatness in 2008 without spinning his season back to 1999. He’s only first in RBI’s, third in home runs, and ninth in batting average in the American League, oh and he set a major league record Monday night by hitting 28 home runs in one round of the Home Run Derby contest. Instead, all weekend we hear about his drug addictions. Is he a good role model for children with all his tattoos? Will he ever break down again and take another drink? Face it sports reporters, he revived his life, career, and now he is among the best in baseball, because he dusted himself off and tried again.