National News (09/09/09-09/20/09)

Patrick Swayze Died, 09/14/09, Associated Press (AP), Everywhere

Patrick Swayze…how can one describe him? At once so masculine yet, oh, so tender. Yeah. Him. Well, the trained dancer, 80s teen heartthrob (does anyone still say that anymore?),  husband, and movie star lost his two-year battle pancreatic with cancer last week. R.I.P. (Re-watch Dirty Dancing and Ghost…it’s SO worth it) “No one puts  baby in the corner”….Indeed I’m sure a couple of tributes are planned…google it. Go to youtube for THE video, too.

Kanye Acted a Fool at the VMAs, 09/13/09, MTV (Everywhere)

If you don’t know this by now…we have some other things to discuss…In brief, Kanye interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the VMAs, she got sad, Beyonce saved the day, he got roasted by basically everyone, apologized on his blog, she went on TV, he apologized again (to her), she accepted. The end.

Serena Williams Goes Off at the US Open and Loses , 09/13/09, NYT

Serena Williams, our tennis-pro homegirl, was competing in the semi-finals at the US Open when she went off on a line judge for what she thought was a bad call. She was penalized a point for her behavior and lost the match. She got fined $10,000 (oh, yes) and apologized.  Everyone was talking about it…and still might be.

Sex Bracelets Banned, Again, 09/12/09, The New York Times (NYT)

Ok. So some school in Colorado had banned those colorful plastic “jelly” bracelets because they fear the  colors represent various sex acts the wearer has done or will do. But some think they are just fashion statements. Sex bracelets? Really? Um..where they (still) do that at? Wasn’t that like 3 years ago?

Senator Interrupts President Obama’s Speech, 09/10/09, NYT, video (AP)

So, President Obama was giving a speech a week or so ago, talking about, what else? healthcare. When all of a sudden, Rep. Joe Wilson (Republican from South Carolina) yells out, “You lie!” Yeah. So begins the brouhaha. Sen. Wilson got roasted by just about everybody and apologized for his lack of decorum.

Teen Tennis Player Wins Big, then Loses, 09/08/09, NYDN, NYT

Melanie Oudin, a 17-year-old Georgia girl, became a tennis fan fav when she (surprisingly) defeated known champs, like Maria Sharapova (yes, the one from the camera commercial with the dog) at the US Open. She was being lauded the next big (cute, young, spunky) thing in US tennis, all while wearing colorful tennis shoes that said, “believe.” Then she lost in the Grand Slam quarterfinal and the balloon deflated. But she’s young, the fans love her so, well keep an eye out.