HOW TO SCORE 2004

As I look back on 2004 personally, politically and in terms of popular culture, these are the highlights. Things that I am grateful to God for in 2004.

1. Mr. Media Matters married Mrs. Media Matters. The best thing that has ever happened to me. She's a great lady. And no you can't have her.

2. President George W. Bush wins re-election. He is a godly man doing a difficult job with wisdom and toughness. We are a lucky nation.

3. CBS News and Dan Rather took a big blow to their ego and their reputation when the forged document scandal was revealed by people like me, bloggers. Oh how the mighty have fallen! I have become addicted to blogging and the rest of you need to do so as well.

4. Getting hooked on Hugh Hewitt's daily radio program. I love his conservative brand of moral and political talk radio. He's funny and informed and that is a deadly combination.

5. The ABC TV network scored a major comeback with its entertainment lineup. Shows like Lost, Desperate Housewives and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition help put the once struggling network back on the ratings map. I would highly recommend that everyone make time in their week for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. It makes me cry almost every week. It is uplifting TV suitable for the whole family.

6. Mr. Media Matters got a new career and so far it has promising attributes in the perks and profit categories.

7. Mrs. Media Matters and I made successful trips to Tennessee and Oregon to visit both sides of our family. Oregon and Tennessee may be the two greenest states in the nation in terms of trees, grass, landscape. They are both beautiful. And we were warmly received by both families.

8. Mr. Media Matters is grateful for the continued relationship he has with his two best friends, Andy and Jared, and their respective families. They are great guys with cute kids and friendly spouses and they have been such a blessing in my life.

9. The US mourned the loss of President Ronald Reagan in a touching and appropriate way. I cried as I watched the funeral, the procession of the casket and the outpouring of public support. He was a great man and it was significant and important that we remembered him in such a meaningful and demonstrative way.

10. My brother and his kids have shown a lot of courage and determination in a difficult year. It has reminded me that life is hard. And that perseverance is a noble thing.

11. Scott Peterson got the death penalty. He deserved it. What a slime!

12. The Denver Broncos are still in the NFL playoff hunt. Mrs. Media Matters is happy. Go Broncos!

That's all for now. I have been blessed in 2004. I can't wait for 2005.

Happy New Year and God Bless.

Rich

fanofalias@yahoo.com

BAD AD

Unfortunately Ford is using the late Steve McQueen in TV commercials for the latest version of the Mustang. Sure, McQueen is closely affiliated with the vehicle, thanks to his film Bullitt and his movie star/sports car persona. The only problem -- he's been dead for more than two decades. Using dead celebrities to hock products is eerie and tacky. I would advise Ford to stop using McQueen in the ads. I think it lowers the prestige of the Mustang, not raises it.

Rich

fanofalias@yahoo.com

MY GROWNUP CHRISTMAS LIST

I love that Christmas song by Amy Grant. I don't think she wrote it, but her version of the song is my favorite. Of course, she could sing the ingredients off the back of a macaroni and cheese box and I would love it. Anyway, here is my Grownup Christmas List for 2004, in no particular order.

1. The Iraqi elections proceed in January peacefully and the MSM doesn't try to sabotage their success.

2. The Sacramento Kings win the NBA championship.

3. Ceci Connoly gets replaced on Fox News Sunday.

4. The Denver Broncos make the NFL Playoffs (a gift for Mrs. Media Matters).

5. Mary Mapes and Andrew Hayward get fired at CBS.

6. Fahrenheit 9/11 doesn't get any Oscar nominations and Michael Moore cannot appear at the ceremony.

7. Regis Philbin retires and offers me his job. I don't really want him to retire because I think he is great. But I would like his gig.

8. Hugh Hewitt broadcasts on the radio for six hours a day, not just three.

9. People actually start reading my blog.

10. Alias gets great ratings, airing after Lost.

11. That our country realizes what a great President we have in George W. Bush.

12. That we celebrate "Merry Christmas" in America, and not this "Seasons Greetings" crap.

That's enough for now. Have a Merry Christmas!

Rich

fanofalias@yahoo.com

RUMMY'S NO DUMMY

I am not one of the growing number of Republicans who is calling for US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield's resignation. Senators John McCain, Trent Lott, and Chuck Hagel have joined the Weekly Standard's Bill Kristol in calling for his resignation or strongly registering their lack of confidence in his leadership of the military. I disagree with their sentiment. Our troops freeing of Afghanistan was stunning. And the military's movement through Baghdad and our capturing of Saddam Hussein were major accomplishments. These are no small milestones. Rumsfield has been criticized for his answer to the National Guardsmen about armor. I found his answer to the question, planted by a reporter, by the way, to be honest and appropriate. If Rumsfield has the support of the President, then he has my support as well. Republicans -- lay off. We get enough attacks from the Left. We don't need to pile on our own.

Rich

fanofalias@yahoo.com

KUDOS TO KELLY

I predicted all along that Kelly would win on The Apprentice 2. And sure enough he did last night. The Donald made him the president of one of his companies, presiding over a huge construction and development project in New York City. Although I thought Kelly would win, and indeed deserved to win, I must admit I did wonder if The Donald might be under a certain amount of network or public pressure to make this year's winner a female or a minority. But that didn't turn out to be the case. Although in both seasons, one of the final two candidates has been either a person of color (Kwame) or a female (Jennifer). Kudos to all involved. This is a great reality show and I look forward to season three. I think the real testament to how much I love this show is that I was able to stay awake for all three hours of last night's finale. And Mrs. Media Matters can tell you how much of an accomplishment that is. I think it helped tremendously last night having Regis Philbin do some of the hosting. That took some of the pressure off The Donald, who as we know from season one, isn't great at hosting live TV. Me on the other hand, I'd be great at it. Mark Burnett, give me a call.

Rich

fanofalias@yahoo.com

RICH'S RANTS

Senator Lieberman has apparently rejected the Bush Administration's offers to join the Cabinet. Fine with me. One Democrat in the Cabinet, Secretary of Transportation Norm Mineta, is more than enough. By all accounts, Mineta is a lousy Secretary of Transportation anyway.

According to Hugh Hewitt, my favorite conservative radio talk show host, and his Weekly Standard column, he thinks Rudy Giuliani is out to a big lead in the race for 2008. I hope not. I will support him if he is the Republican nominee. But I am still hoping for a more conservative candidate, say Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty.

Will heads roll at CBS for the forged document story? And why hasn't the Eye network released its report? Rather should be forced to go immediately. Mapes must be fired. Hayward too. CBS News is a joke. Again, IMO, conservatives should not be getting their news from the MSM. Fox News, the Internet and talk radio are the best sources of news in 2004.

Rich

RICH'S REVIEWS

I do not care for Ceci Connoly as a part of the panel on Fox News Sunday. I fear she is becoming a regular.

January is a HUGE month for star Jennifer Garner. Her hit show Alias returns for its fourth season on January 5, 2005. And later that month her new action flick Elektra hits the theaters. She is the main star in both of these projects. I can't wait!

Lots of political buzz about former Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Senator Joe Lieberman joining President Bush's cabinet. Possibly as US Ambassador to the United Nations or as the new choice for Secretary of Homeland Security. In my opinion, this is not likely to happen. Let me just say that I'll believe it when I see it.

Hugh Hewitt is back this week from vacation. It's about time.

SNOW JOB

I love that the New York Times and the Washington Post both got it wrong. These two big, liberal papers both reported with certainty that US Treasury Secretary John Snow had been given the boot by Bush. His replacement would be announced as soon as Bush could name a new candidate. Turns out they were incorrect in their reporting. President Bush has asked John Snow to stay on during his second term. He is rewarding Secretary Snow for his loyalty and defense of the tax cuts. So these two leading liberal papers were snowed by Snow and the President. You gotta love that! Maybe the President kept Snow on just to prove them wrong. That's cool with me. I just love to see them be wrong. The MSM is a liberal pain in the butt.

Hat tip to Brit Hume and the Fox News All Stars for informing me about this story.

Rich

fanofalias@yahoo.com

POLITICAL CHRISTMASNESS

I am tired of the political correctness crowd stamping out Christmas. Now you have department stores telling their employees not to greet shoppers with the words "Merry Christmas." You have major cities (Denver) having "holiday parades" instead of Christmas parades. School districts throughout the country have "winter breaks" now instead of Christmas vacation. It is absurd. The holiday is Christmas. Most Americans celebrate Christmas. Don't be afraid to say it. It is not offensive to say Christmas. I am not offended when Jews tell me they celebrate Hannukah. Why should they be offended when I say Merry Christmas? It's ridiculous. This assault on Christmas and anything to do with Christianity needs to stop.

Merry Christmas.

Rich

fanofalias@yahoo.com

WHAT TO WATCH ON WEDNESDAYS

I've already blogged about how much I like the new ABC series Lost. It is appointment viewing for me and Mrs. Media Matters every Wednesday evening. But now with ABC's decision to air Alias after Lost on Wednesday evenings, the night just became a powerhouse of Must See TV. Look for the Alias two-hour season premiere on Wednesday, January 5, 2005. Three hours of action-packed, plot twisting dramas from TV genius JJ Abrams. It doesn't get much better than that.

Rich

fanofalias@yahoo.com

THE FINAL FOUR

Is anyone else as shocked as I am that Sandy made it to the final four on The Apprentice 2? I like Sandy but never thought she would make it this far. I always felt like she was a little too naive, but maybe not. Of the final four --Kelly, Kevin, Jennifer and Sandy, I would expect Kelly to win it all. Unless The Donald is under some sort of pressure not to have another white guy win it all. In that case, I would suspect Kevin or Jennifer to win. Kelly has been the most productive and level-headed member of the group. And he deserves to win. I am not sorry to see that Ivana (not his ex-wife) got eliminated last night. The Donald always values Carolyn's input over George's. And Carolyn was ticked at Ivana's undressing gimmick. It was sort of tacky and I never liked her personality anyway. So for now, I am rooting for Kelly to win it all.

Rich

fanofalias

FAHRENHEIT FOLLY

I am a fan of the media and as such am a celebrity guru and follower of all things Hollywood. However, if as anticipated, Michael Moore's film (if you can call it that) Fahrenheit 9/11 gets nominated for any major awards, you can bet I will boycott watching those events. Moore's film is lousy propaganda, filled with inaccuracies. He is a loser and liberal Hollywood loves him anyway. But I do not, and neither does much of Red State America. So expect a backlash on Nielsen ratings and public interest if Moore's irresponsible attempt at a documentary gets nods from the Golden Globes or the Academy Awards. There's buzz that Fahrenheit 9/11 may get nominated for "Best Picture." That would be a travesty and the Hollywood community would look stupid for nominating such a biased and bogus piece of schlock. Here's hoping that some sort of sanity saves the Hollywood community this award season.

Rich

fanofalias@yahoo.com

COLEMAN VS. KOFI

US Senator Norm Coleman (R - Minnesota) has rightfully called for UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to step down. As the leader of congressional hearings into the UN Oil for Food scandal in Iraq, Coleman knows firsthand how Annan's leadership has hindered the investigation and how his own son has benefited from the scandal. Coleman has been courageous in this effort and Kofi needs to take the Senator's advice. If and when Kofi leaves, this potentially provides a real opportunity to overhaul the UN and rid it of corruption. As long as we don't replace Kofi with Bill Clinton. The former President is rumored to want the position. And it would be a disaster to return him to a position of power. About the only good that could come from it would be it would make it difficult for Hillary to run successfully for President if her husband already held a position of world power. Still, it's not a good idea. Kofi must go and Clinton must stay retired!

Rich

fanofalias@yahoo.com