Posted 8:37 PM by Gene

I just learned -- from forcing myself to read The Gliberal, Trendy E. (for Elitist) Bushbash -- that the flack sheet Variety ran a piece headlined, "Hollywood Asks: Has Pop Culture Pooped Out?" What bugs me is when the leading CW outlet of show-biz runs something like this, it's surely as contrary an indicator as a newsrag cover, and we can be sure this time next year these same scribblers will be acclaiming a golden age even if things got worse; but perhaps the realization is finally sinking into the media boneheads (as it does not with The Gliberal) that there's a gaping hole in our culture, and all the noise and explosions and CGI and publicity stunts can't fill it in. And in contemplating this I'm in a doubly vitriolic mood as the locals are celebrating our TREMENDOUS VICTORY in the NFL playoffs as though Christ had come again, though they need be in a drunken stupor to convince themselves of it, and the usual idiot belches like "classic" and "legendary" are at this moment running off the presses -- just another form of show-biz hype. I've spoken once too often of the moral and ethical ghost town that is professional sport; but then sport is just another means of filling in our cultural gaping hole, and with our mavens of New York and LaLaLand failing us so miserably instead of great books and great movies and great music, all we have are highlight reels and "You had to be there." The future will not look kindly on our age for its dross.