Reflections from snowy Kansas City

Goodness, have we ever had a combination of cold and snow like that currently being experienced by Kansas Citians and those in the surrounding region? The temperatures today are around zero or slightly above and, with the howling wind, the wind chills are in danger territory. The combination of new snow yesterday combined with high winds early this morning made my sixth (or was it seventh) time shoveling the driveway a pretty pointless exercise.

Rumor had it, it was so cold that penguins escaped from the Kansas City Zoo because they were feeling frisky, what with the weather, and wanted to check out the broader "hood."

Here are some musings from the frozen tundra of Leawood:

- Tiger Woods may have been taking 'roids!? That's the latest rumor/speculation given the gangsta photo which is appearing on Vanity Fair's cover. Tiger-gate keeps getting wackier and wackier.

- Why is it that a local television network, when they have a sister station dedicated to weather, insists on pre-empting national network programming in order to have a full-on report about the local weather? (You know we're talking to you KMBC-ABC...)

- Longtime local television broadcaster, Wendall Anschutz, has died from a long bout with lung cancer. Anschutz was one of the more admired Kansas City broadcasters, anchoring the early and late evening news from the local CBS affiliate. My conversation with Anschutz, a few years ago, was illuminating given his obvious irritation at how television broadcasting had evolved to so much of the sensational. And, he was most distressed that his former station, KCTV-CBS, was leading that charge locally.

- The Consumer Electronics Show, a hedonistic display of every toy that we men (and many women) want, is underway in Las Vegas. An associate who's attending the show has already sent me a photo of a 152 inch "TV" with 4k resolution, insisting that I need it for my "man cave" basement. ("Honey, guess what 'we' just bought...!'")

- The contestant on The Bachelor who allegedly was having an "inappropriate relationship" on the show was ultimately fired as a contestant. Without giving away too much, her statement about being fired gives us our quote-of-the-week. She said, "the network's definition of 'inappropriate relationship' differs from the outside world's definition of 'inappropriate relationship.'" Hmm...

- And finally, Tiger Woods has a partner-in-crime in the celebs-in-trouble-who've-been-dumped-by-a-sponsor department. Charlie Sheen has been dropped by Hanes. So, we'll no longer be seeing those puzzling TV spots which pair Sheen with another Hanes endorser, Michael Jordan. (And, it's not like MJ hasn't had some image issues over the past few years either.) What's pretty amazing about Sheen is that this latest imbroglio with his spouse is not new. Martin's son has had a pretty long list of issues--allegations of domestic violence, public dating of porn stars, involvement with noted prostitute Heidi Fleiss, porn addiction and, of course, in-and-out of rehab. Yet, consumers continue to watch his show, Two and a Half Men--one of the most successful sitcoms on TV in recent years. Once more, proof that the American public has a short memory...or is just incredibly forgiving.