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23 Oct 2009 18:31

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Politics: Why reality TV-courting families shouldn’t lose their kids

  • The impulse to remove innocent children from their stupid parents simply because their parents are stupid is a strong one. But it sweeps broadly and often irrevocably.
  • Slate columnist Dahlia Lithwick • Describing reasons why stupid parents, such as Octomom and the Balloon Boy-birthing Heenes, should be able to keep their kids. Lithwick argues that this is an extreme case, and the best solution lies somewhere in-between. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Oct 2009 23:22

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Culture: Lifetime stays classy, pulls the Balloon Boy “Wife Swap” episode

  • A while ago, Lifetime scheduled an episode of “Wife Swap,” featuring a wacky storm-chasing family, to air on Thursday. source
  • Since then, the Heene family has been on TV around the clock after perpetrating the “Balloon Boy” hoax last week. source
  • Rather than give them even more time on TV, Lifetime pulled the episode. Good job. This family needs no more press. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 3 Comments • Permalink

18 Oct 2009 20:24

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Politics: A few big lessons to take from the “Balloon Boy” hoax



As media addicts, we've been watching "Balloon Boy" closely. Not because this story is necessarily a particularly important saga in the grand scheme of things. But culturally, it could be a turning point for how we handle trash culture. Gawker deftly touched on this today, and here are some thoughts of our own:
  • Fame is addictive Despite his obvious failures as a human being, Richard Heene started from a common place – he had an interesting life, someone recognized him for it and put him on TV, and he wanted more. He has lots in common with Real World/Road Rules Challenge contestants in that regard. Heene’s problem is that, in his quest for fame, he became too desperate and manipulative. Not cool, dude.
  • Fame is addictive Despite his obvious failures as a human being, Richard Heene started from a common place – he had an interesting life, someone recognized him for it and put him on TV, and he wanted more. He has lots in common with Real World/Road Rules Challenge contestants in that regard. Heene’s problem is that, in his quest for fame, he became too desperate and manipulative. Not cool, dude.
  • Culture hackers win After the Heene family is punished for their actions, they’re probably going to get exactly what they wanted out of it. They’ve already been paid once for an interview. Richard might get a book deal. When Falcon’s old and screwed up like the rest of us, you know he’s going on Larry King again (if Larry’s still alive). Don’t believe us? Look at Rod Blagojevich’s recent career. Cheaters win. Kinda.
  • Fame is addictive Despite his obvious failures as a human being, Richard Heene started from a common place – he had an interesting life, someone recognized him for it and put him on TV, and he wanted more. He has lots in common with Real World/Road Rules Challenge contestants in that regard. Heene’s problem is that, in his quest for fame, he became too desperate and manipulative. Not cool, dude.
  • Culture hackers win After the Heene family is punished for their actions, they’re probably going to get exactly what they wanted out of it. They’ve already been paid once for an interview. Richard might get a book deal. When Falcon’s old and screwed up like the rest of us, you know he’s going on Larry King again (if Larry’s still alive). Don’t believe us? Look at Rod Blagojevich’s recent career. Cheaters win. Kinda.
  • The media eats itself Why do stories like this get to stick around? Easy. Our popular culture is a series of loops that lock into each other. Something happens on TV, and it gets blogged about 600 times. Something gets blogged about 600 times, and it ends up on Twitter. And then it might end up on TV. While to some degree we enjoy it, we don’t know how to make it stop. Does anyone feel manipulated? We do.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Oct 2009 21:37

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U.S.: Balloon Boy’s parents are probably gonna get charged

  • Great news everyone! For wasting everyone’s time, for wasting taxpayer’s money, for making internet memes, for being named Richard Heene, for embarrassing Fort Collins, for showing us Falcon’s vomit, for keeping up amused, and for eating up the news, you’re damn right the parents are gonna get charged. (But not arrested.) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Oct 2009 12:20

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U.S.: Daily poll: On Balloon Boy and the 24-hour news cycle

  • We just watched Balloon Boy dad Richard Heene’s “big announcement”: He put a box in front of his house and told reporters to put questions in the box. Wha? Sounds like someone’s living his personal PR nightmare. Anyway, this got us to thinking. Between this and talk-show chatter, is the 24-hour news cycle broken? Let us know what you think.source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Oct 2009 10:35

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U.S.: GREAT … Balloon Boy’s family has a “big” announcement today

  • I’m going to have a press conference out here at, let’s say, 10 a.m. Okay? So it’s a few more hours. So, I’d like to speak everybody about a few things. Okay? So, it’s a big announcement.
  • Richard Heene • Father of “Balloon Boy” Falcon Heene, on a big announcement that the family plans to share. Is it going to be, “we just hoaxed everyone?” Is it going to be, “we have a new reality TV show deal?” Is it going to be that fame makes Falcon Heene sick? Is it going to be something else? Either way, we’re going to be waiting by the seat of our pants for Noon EST (10 a.m. MST in Fort Collins, Colorado) to roll around. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Oct 2009 21:27

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Offbeat: Hey, look, raw Balloon Boy launch footage. Interesting.

  • Pops has a temper. And man, this non-story has enough entertaining twists and turns that we cannot convince ourselves to turn away. In the latest news of the case, the Heene family was, in fact, working on a TV show about their family, but networks and production companies passed on it. Wouldn’t it be sad/awesome if they got a reality show out of this incident anyway?source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

16 Oct 2009 16:14

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U.S.: We think the Balloon Boy got us sick; thanks for nothing, jerk

  • The ShortFormBlog staff has felt pretty cruddy all day, and we think we know why: We caught whatever the Balloon Boy had. Has anyone considered how strange it is that this kid wasn’t in school on a Thursday? This non-story makes us sick. (Warning: The kid throws up during the clip. It’s not bad throw-up, but it is throw-up. You’ve been warned.)source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Oct 2009 10:39

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U.S.: A former co-worker of balloon dad says the story is full of hot air

  • I just thought he was beginning to push them into some things that were ethically on the edge. … I knew at some point he would create a situation that would bring attention like he’s having right now. I didn’t want to be a part of that.
  • Scott Stevens • A former colleague of “baloon dad” Richard Henne who had a falling out with the storm-chaser over how much he was getting his kids into. Many are strongly convinced that this is a hoax, but Richard Henne stands by his claim that it wasn’t. “We were holding on to every second, hoping that he’s OK,” he said. “I’m not selling anything. This is what we do all the time. I don’t have a can of beans I’m trying to promote.”  • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Oct 2009 22:54

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Culture: Balloon Boy: “We did this for the show.” Wait, what?

  • Did this kid just admit on Larry King that the whole incident was a giant publicity stunt to keep this family in the spotlight? Boy, I think he just did. Kids say the darndest things! And Wolf Blitzer is a terrible journalist, because he didn’t immediately follow up on what Falcon said.source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink
 
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