Commentary Update for August 19, 2002: Bill Lennon, Commentary in the News, Rylance on Underheim/Genisio, Pagano/Seaver Letters, CNN and Rudi Bakhtiar, Photos

Dear Friends of Commentary

Bill Lennon, candidate for Winnebago County District Attorney, is Commentary's guest this week. Mr. Lennon appears in the first half-hour. In the second half-hour UW Oshkosh professor of Political Science Jim Simmons joins us for some analysis of election 2002. Simmons stepped in at the last minute, after District Attorney Joe Paulus once again canceled his appearance.

Commentary has received some good press recently. The Sunday Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (probably the most widely read paper in the state) mentioned the show in a front page story about the County DA race (scroll down to the last few paragraphs to see the mention of Commentary; note that Dr. Simmons is quoted extensively in the same story):
http://www.jsonline.com/news/state/aug02/67402.asp

Commentary pundit supreme Dan Rylance wrote an analysis of the Underheim/Genisio 54th Assembly District race for the website:
http://www.uwosh.edu/faculty_staff/palmeri/commentary/rylanceongenisioaffair.htm

More reader responses: the first link is to Pete Pagano's views on pacifism and nonviolence, while in the second Harmon Seaver has something to say about the Experimental Aircraft Association:
http://www.uwosh.edu/faculty_staff/palmeri/commentary/pagano.htm
http://www.uwosh.edu/faculty_staff/palmeri/commentary/hsonlb.htm

Remember when Cable Network News (CNN) used to be insistent that "the news is the star" and that they would thus avoid the Hollywoodization seen on other channels? Over the last two years, CNN's use of female anchors has made ridiculous the "news is the star" claim. Early in 2001, the network hired former NYPD Blue star Andrea Thompson (high school dropout with less than a year of experience in TV news) to be the evening anchor. She lasted less than a year, claiming to leave for "family reasons." Then the network hired Paula Zhan away from Fox. CNN actually ran a Zhan promotion that said "Where can you find a morning news anchor who's provocative, super-smart, oh yeah, and just a little sexy?" The words were accompanied by what most viewers perceived as the sound of a zipper being unzipped (although CNN claimed it was the sound of a needle scratching across a record.)

CNN's latest headline news anchor is Rudi Bakhtiar. Yesterday, the Atlanta Journal Constitution actually had a feature story on Rudi's "Closet Confessions." We learn that Rudi's Iranian dad was an extreme neat freak, but "While she doesn't go to that extreme, the petite anchor knows where everything is in her clutter-free, 20-by-5-by-8-foot walk-in closet off the bedroom of her Midtown loft. To the left is a white, eight-drawer dresser that holds her lingerie." Rudi's "favorite fun accessory" is her Derek Jeter cap. She's never met the Yankees' shortstop, but she "wouldn't mind." Derek might be pleased to hear that Rudi also says that on a date, she will wear "something sexy." The entire feature is here:
http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/living/fashion/0818rudi.html
Be sure to check out the photo gallery of Rudi's closet:
http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/living/photos/rudi/image1.html

Mr. Mather and I and our guests are not as photogenic as CNN's anchors, of course, but we've got a bunch of new photos on the Commentary site:

As usual, letters, opinion pieces, and other materials are welcome!

Best,

-Tony