Friday, August 29, 2003

Fascists In St. Paul I can't believe this.  First, some background.  The Minnesota State Fair is a HUGE deal.  It's the biggest, or second-biggest state fair in the country.  Either Texas or Ohio is first, or maybe Minnesota is first.  No matter.  It's a big deal. As you walk into the main entrance to the fair, it is very common to see vendors hawking their wares.  In addition to a bunch of cheap crap, there are neighborhood kids who set up pop and lemonade stands.  Sweet little kids.  They don't bother anybody.  They sell a product for cheaper than you can get it in the fair, and damn if it doesn't get hot enough that you need some relief. Well, there were two girls, ages 7 and 4, who got shut down by the City.  Turns out they need a $60 permit, and St. Paul is cracking down. It's no joke.  A 7 and 4 year old girl got shut down for selling pop and lemonade.  The City's rationale is that, well, what if someone got some bad lemonade, and got sick?  They wouldn't be able to trace where the lemonade came from.  They wouldn't?  How does the fact that a stand doesn't have a permit make it impossible for someone to say "Hey, that's where I got the lemonade!" I think the 7 year-old said it best, when asked for her feelings about the situation: "I don't think that was right," she said, "Cause you should be able to just sell stuff without having something that you don't know you're supposed to be having." 10:40:10 AM    Say what?[]

Kissy Face With Madonna OK.  I didn't see the MTV Awards last night, as my bullshit pseudo cable package doesn't carry the channel.  I wouldn't have watched that crap anyway.  But then today, I read that Chris Rock was the host.  I like Chris Rock.  I would have tuned in to hear Chris Rock. And then I heard that Madonna and Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera were kissing each other.  Hold the phone.  Let me just lay it on the line.  I like Madonnna.  I've always liked Madonna.  I think she's got incredible talent and, yes, balls, chutzpah, whatever you want to call it.  I also think she's a master at the publicity stunt.  Britney Spears, I've never much cared for.  I find her generically attractive and her music to be generically bad, although I thought she was pretty good on the SNL she hosted.  Christina Aguilera, I have no opinion about.  Probably less attractive than Britney, probably a bit more talented, and ultimately a flash in the pan (that's been flashing for about five years now, but who's counting?) My question: was this a sort of sloppy, fake, hurried kiss like the one Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie gave each other that one time on Wild Kingdom?  Or was this a real-deal, full-blown tongue-lashing? I'd like to not be one of "those guys" who begins to drool whenever the mere notion of two women kissing enters their mind.  And yet, my keyboard is all wet (from drool) after having seen the picture of Madonna and Britney kissing.  A part of me wants to say "Madonna!  Don't slum around with those no-talents!  You are MADONNA!  Sure, I know you kissed Dennis Rodman, and Jose Canseco, and about 4,000 other celebrities as a way to let people know how hip and loose and sexy you are, but you don't have to do this.  Those girls are only trying to usurp your greatness.  And for God's sake, if you're going to kiss them, at least give me some warning so I can see it for myself!" At the very least, you could kiss Salma Hayek or Penelope Cruz or, yes, even Liz Phair.  Uh-oh.  My keyboard's going to short out now... 10:27:17 AM    Say what?[]

© Copyright 2003 Doug Hennessee. Last update: 9/2/2003; 10:37:59 AM.