Your Fifteen Minutes Are Up

People I'm over hearing about as we near the end of 2003:

• Michael Jackson
  His over-remodeled mug is on the screen absolutely every evening. He's had center stage more of this year than when he was there for his talent. Enough, already.
  
  
• Paris Hilton
  Hadn't even heard of her a year ago, and now she's everywhere. Those video tapes were "released" a bit too conveniently close to her TV show, no? Sad, just plain sad. And consider this: I've contributed financially to her development-slash-downfall every time I've stayed in a Hilton-family branded hotel. Makes me think twice about staying in one again.
  
  
• Ben Affleck & J-Lo
  As if the hype before, and the reviews during, weren't reminders enough, now we have to deal with the end-of-year recaps of how bad Gigli was. Goes to show that you can get more press from a truly awful movie than from a blockbuster.
  
  
• The Bushes
  • Jeb
    I don't blame the Schiavo family for seeing her face on TV far too long. I blame the governor for passing "Terri's Law." He didn't have the right, and I think the courts will prove it — but not before spending lots of state tax money that is needed elsewhere.
    
    
  • Dubya
    When I fumed about this a year ago, I wish I'd written it here so I could link back and prove I was fuming about it. My question at the time: why are (were) we really going after Iraq? Seems to me we're just clearing his daddy's unfinished business. If (I fear "when") he gets re-elected, anyone want to take a guess at the next skeleton in daddy's closet?
    Or, ponder this: when Clinton lied, he got impeached. When Dubya lies, he gets exhonerated as a patriot and leader of the free world. I think he inherited the Teflon mantle.