OK Magazine: So Meta

I was in line to check out at my corner bodega and I happened upon this cover of the current 

OK Magazine  which teases a headline story about Kanye West "leaking" the story about his wife's pregnancy. READERS NOTE: HER NAME HAS NEVER AND WILL NEVER APPEAR IN THIS BLOG SO GET OVER IT. The Kanye headline might not appear to be anything unusual or significant on the surface; it has the familiar aesthetics routine buzzwords that make this garbage instantly recognizable to just about every demographic in every geographic corner of the US. But the story itself makes this issue worth talking about, because the story goes out of its way to make the point that tabloid sleaze and the mechanics of the industry that go into creating it are at best creepy, at worst unethical.   

Pope Benedict XVI Abdicates

Pope Benedict's resignation from his diamond encrusted throne in Vatican City proved a shock to believers and nonbelievers across the world. His short term (2005-2013) seemed plagued by scandal and misfortune, ironic considering that his position is supposedly quasi-divine. And what, you might ask, was the reason for Ratzinger's sudden departure? His statement cited "advanced age" and a physical and mental inability to hold the position of head of the Catholic Church.  This, of course, flies in the face of historical precedent and gives credence to theories that the Church is getting ahead of a breaking scandal.

Sure, it's a hunch...and even though Ratzy is undoubtedly an old fuck, his medical history looks pristine compared to the previous Pontiff John Paul II who was diagnosed with Parkinsons during his tenure. True to the Papal formula, John Paul II served until his death in April 2005, and even made several creepy appearances that demonstrated the extent his mental deterioration shortly before he died. The likely rationale behind this precedent is the confusion of having an "ex-Pope". The ex-Pope concept poses a spiritual paradox for believers, and it is therefore an unideal spot for the church to find itself in following years of sexual abuse scandals and a world which is generally abandoning faith for more logical, intellectual and secular alternatives.  If Rat

Manti Te'o: A Lesson In Deception

Notre Dame linebacker, and potential 'mo (or queeb/quay) Manti Te'o has dominated the news cycle since a deadspin post broke the sensational story about the All American's deceased girlfriend. If you're reading this blog, you already know the essentials. Girlfriend > dead grandma > dead girlfriend > phone call revealing a hoax...the whole thing is just juicy.

But there's been one missing, crucial piece of the media jigsaw puzzle: Manti Te'o. Until tonight, Te'o has kept quiet (which has only served to add fuel to the fire of widespread criticism of his outrageous story.) The media has, in general, has avoided critique of the Te'o defense, which is more ridiculous when juxtaposed against his previous descriptions of the girl he described as the "love of his life." Late Friday night, an audio only [red flag] interview was conducted and released by ESPN, and if things were bad for the lyin' Hawaiian before, they're about to get even dicier.

The Te'o defense now includes the admission that his accounts of meeting the purported "hoaxer"  were forged. Manti explains that this was a cover-up to prevent his peers, teammates, and family from getting the impression that he is "weird". As it turns out, nothing convinces people you're a normal guy quite like a national media inquisition of your sanity. 

One would assume that an honest Manti would have no reason to decline a video interview, as his reaction should be genuine if he's telling the truth. The last thing his PR team wants is doubt and when you don't show your face in 'the big reveal', you brew up a mess of speculation. Jeremy Schaap, the ESPN reporter conducting the interview, admitted that Te'o seemed genuine and "unflinching" in his responses, but eventually conceded that audio alone was probably a "bad choice". 

It's going to be amazing to watch Te'o squirm through this process as more facts are uncovered, followed by the subsequent, douce-chilly "come-clean" press conference. But the fact remains...Manti Te'o is, at best, so dumb that there's no reason for him to be in higher education in the first place;at worst a compulsive (and excellently terrible) liar. I'm putting my chips on the latter.