What Caught My Eye Today

Fred's Note: I was all set to break precedent and lead off with a soccer story, but instead I'll being breaking precedent by leading of with not one, but two (actually three) celebrity deaths.

Entertainment - Michael Jackson, the sensationally gifted child star who rose to become the "King of Pop" and the biggest celebrity in the world only to fall from his throne in a freakish series of scandals, died today. He was 50. Jackson died at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. The circumstances of Jackson's death were not immediately clear. Jackson was not breathing when Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded to a call at his Los Angeles home about 12:30pm. Jackson's death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, sometimes farcical decline from his peak in the 1980s, when he was popular music's premier all-around performer, a uniter of black and white music who shattered the race barrier on MTV, dominated the charts and dazzled even more on stage. And yet, for all the tabloid fodder that he offered, all you were likely to see in the media today were tributes. Why is it that we always seem to wait until someone is gone before we say something nice about them?

So that is your 80s icon. For children of the 70s, arguably the most famous poster babe that decade has also passed away. Farrah Fawcett, 62, died this morning at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, nearly three years after being diagnosed with anal cancer. A winsome smile, tousled hair and unfettered sensuality were Farrah Fawcett's trademarks as a sex symbol and 1970s TV star in "Charlie's Angels." But as her life drew to a close, she captivated the public in a far different way: as a cancer patient who fought for, then surrendered, her treasured privacy to document her struggle with the disease and inspire others. Here's a testament to just how much 'star quality' Fawcett had--she starred in only one season of "Charlie's Angels"; how many other "Angels" can you name? I admit with some degree of embarrassment--actually, quite a bit--that I can name at least three others.

And finally, for my parents' generation, one of the greatest talkshow sidekicks of all time also died this week.Ed McMahon, the loyal "Tonight Show" sidekick who bolstered boss Johnny Carson with guffaws and a resounding "H-e-e-e-e-e-ere’s Johnny!" for 30 years, died Tuesday. He was 86.

Talk about a bad week for Hollywood. Good grief.

Soccer - Had you read my posting on Monday, you will fully appreciate just how knowledgeable I am about this sport. The United States’ 2-0 victory over European champions Spain in the Confederations Cup semi-finals on Wednesday earned a place on the list of great international upsets. Clearly, I have no idea what I'm talking about. Of course, in my defense, neither does the rest of the soccer universe--all of whom did not give the U.S. the remotest chance of beating Spain. Next up for the U.S. will be Brazil in the final this weekend. Given my track record on predicting the outcomes of international soccer matches, I'll go with the U.S. by a touchdown.

I'm sure there was some actual news today. Let's see what we've got...

Healthcare - Senators working to give President Barack Obama a comprehensive health care overhaul said they had figured out how to pare back the complex legislation to keep costs from crashing through a $1 trillion, 10-year ceiling. "We have options that would enable us to write a $1 trillion bill, fully paid for," according to Senate Finance Committee Chairman, Max Baucus. Is this suppose to be good news? Sure we can spend $1 trillion on healthcare, or anything else for that matter. I'm more interested in the question of whether or not we should spend $1 trillion. Baucus declined to detail how the costs were being cut. Big deal. I say we take him at his word. I mean, we're only talk, what...A TRILLION DOLLARS!!! Dude, I think we're entitled to a few details how how exactly a TRILLION DOLLAR bill is "fully paid for."

Iran - Iranian authorities briefly arrested dozens of university professors who met with embattled opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, but he vowed to persevere with his election challenge despite the apparent attempt to isolate him from his supporters. The declared winner of the June 12 balloting, hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, accused President Barack Obama of meddling in Iran's affairs. Well, of course Obama meddled. How else can you explain international outrage of the "divine assessment" of the people which gave Ahmadinejad almost 63% of the popular vote? Mousavi has alleged massive fraud in the balloting. Sounds like sour grapes to me. Ahmadinejad's standing at home appears to have suffered since the election. Several Tehran newspapers reported that 185 out of 290 members of parliament, including Speaker Ali Larijani, stayed away from a victory celebration for Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad's patron, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has said the election result would not be reversed. The fallout may leave Khamenei and the ruling theocracy battered by once-unthinkable defiance of their leadership. And the Iranian people don't seem to bright either. Your Supreme Leader has spoken. I fail to see why the general population, and apparently most of Parliament, should find it necessary to question his edict. It's as if they think their voices should be heard or...dare I say, matter.

Swine Flu - Swine flu has infected as many as 1 million Americans, U.S. health officials said, adding that 6% or more of some urban populations are infected. The estimate voiced by a government flu scientist was no surprise to the experts who have been closely watching the virus. That's nice. I feel so much better that this pandemic comes as no surprise to the experts. The United States has roughly half the world's swine flu cases, with nearly 28,000 reported to the CDC so far. The U.S. count includes 3,065 hospitalizations and 127 deaths. Regular seasonal flu sickens anywhere from 15 million to 60 million Americans each year. Is it just me or does this 1 million milestone sound like just the beginning of an oncoming influenza trainwreck?